The Mistake in the Matter
by GretchenR
Summary: Season 6... my way. Brennan returns with a secret, Booth returns with a girlfriend, the gang returns to the Jeffersonian, partners return to crime-solving... and nothing is the way they left it.
1. Chapter 1

Temperance Brennan patted her stomach, softly. Somehow being pregnant was not as disconcerting as she often imagined. Even though the baby was still fetal, and not actually capable of keeping anyone company at such a state, she somehow always felt like she was not alone anymore.

Yes, the touch to her own stomach promised a tangible connection to the tiny being inside.

Her baby was only four months along. She was finally starting to show. This was another element of pregnancy that she always assumed would be rather unpleasant. When you show your pregnancy, you are outwardly sharing a piece of your personal life with strangers; with everyone. People come up to you and want to talk. Sometimes they even want to touch your stomach. Temperance did not look forward to any of that. But she did enjoy watching her stomach grow. It meant the baby was healthy.

This baby that was created in a whirlwind of emotional turmoil. A couple misspelled letters in a telegram followed by an emotional meltdown, an irrational decision (you should never make major life decisions when you are feeling emotional; Booth himself told her that!) – and here she was. Four months later. She owned it. She owned it all. Every decision, every act in her life – emotional or rational – they were hers.

As she felt life growing inside of her, she couldn't feel sorry about any of it. She never really believed in fate. Until now. Because somehow, it seemed like fate that it happened like it did.

The worst day of her life – receiving a telegram in the Maluku Islands informing her that her partner and best friend Seeley Booth had been killed in an explosion, along with nine other soldiers – had led to the best feeling in the world.

She had wanted to be able to look at her life objectively. She had gotten so much more than she had bargained for. Her relationship with Booth, her feelings about her work, the meaning of every friendship that existed for her in DC, her feelings about babies… she was finally seeing clearly, for the first time her in her life, exactly what she wanted in her life. Some of it was already happening…

She patted her belly and looked out the circular window of her airplane. After her time away, she was finally going home to her family.

B & B & B & B & B B & B & B & B & B B & B & B & B & B B & B & B & B & B B & B & B & B & B

Seeley Booth walked up to the coffee cart by the reflecting pool. He was actually nervous. He was thrilled to finally see his partner again, his "Bones." He was thrilled to be back in DC – and mostly to start working FBI cases again. He was hoping that Bones got whatever it was she'd been seeking when she left.

She had been so tired. So emotionally drained.

He knew she needed a break from it all, much as it hurt him. But everything happens for a reason.

"Do you believe in fate?"

His own voice from years ago taunted him. He did believe in fate. He believed in a lot of things. It was fate that brought him to Temperance Brennan. And it was fate that broke them apart for a little while. It was more painful to leave her than he could've ever imagined.

But… he met Hannah.

He did believe in fate.

He was nervous to introduce Hannah to Bones. And he was really nervous to see Bones again after his time away. When she wasn't around, focusing on Hannah and their relationship together was easy. Planning a future? Also easy.

Seeing Temperance Brennan again – the woman he swore was the love of his life, just before he ever met Hannah? That would be hard.

He saw her round the corner. Her piercing blue eyes caught his gaze and his face broke into a welcoming, warm grin. She smiled as she got closer.

She was more beautiful than he even remembered. Somehow the seven months apart made him forget just how beautiful she really was. Something tightened in his stomach.

Then she was right there. Standing before him.

"Hi, Booth," she said softly.

He grabbed her into a fierce hug, not being able to contain himself. Her familiar smell washed over him; old feelings drifted to the surface.

"Bones, I missed you," he said.

When they pulled away, he saw her swipe at something on her cheek. Her eyes were glistening. He hadn't expected Bones to be emotional. That tugged at his heartstrings. She was a classy woman. Always so off-guard, she would let her guard down for him. Sometimes, when she let him in, let him see the emotional side of herself, it meant more to him than the most emotional speeches someone could give to him about love.

For Bones, she communicated her love in very quiet, sincere ways – and only sometimes was he lucky enough to experience it.

"I have so much to tell you, Booth."

"Me too."

She smiled. "So much changed while I was away. So much happened. I found out things that happened, things that changed everything! Then I found out that those things weren't even true, and the relief I felt… it made everything very clear for me," she said all at once.

He was confused about what she was saying. Something happened, then didn't happen?

"That's… great, Bones. I think," he said, and put his hands in his pocket.

Something seemed different about her, he realized as he surveyed her closely. She was wearing a buttoned up, heavy jacket. Her complexion seemed softer, maybe even fuller. Her eyes seemed warmer. Maybe she just missed him a lot.

If he didn't tell her about Hannah now, he realized, he'd never get the nerve up to do it at all.

"I have some news, too, Bones. Everything that happened when we were apart; well it was just like we talked about. You know, about me moving on, finding someone to love me? Well… I did. I met someone," he said. His voice got softer, more husky as he talked. Almost like something was caught in his throat, preventing those last words from coming out.

The warmth and happiness in her gaze changed instantly. She looked taken aback, caught off guard. And then Booth saw it. Her walls started slipping back into place. She hadn't expected him to say that. And why would she? They were two minutes into their reunion, and he spit it out right in the middle of something she was trying to tell him.

It was rude. He knew that now. And she hadn't expected that from him.

"Bones, I'm sorry," he said in a rush. "I just blurted out what was going on with me, and you were in the middle of telling me what is going on with you! And I want to hear all about it. I do. What happened and then didn't happen? What made things clear for you? I am so happy to hear things are clear, because you know, I was not a fan of when things weren't clear at all. It made you run to the Maluku Islands – and stop working on cases with me. Are you back? Are you going to work cases with me again?" he asked, hope creeping into his expression and voice.

She smiled warmly, not exuding the same enthusiasm as before. "Yes," she said quietly. "The rest isn't important just now," she said, like she was processing her thoughts, thinking of how to word things very carefully. "I can tell you all about that another time. But for now, I'm happy to hear you found someone, and I look forward to meeting her as we resume our work as partners solving crimes."

Wow – back to clinical speak. Something constricted in Booth's heart as he realized he really did take the wind out of her sails. She barely ever opened up and he completely interrupted her when she tried.

"Bones, please tell me –"

"Seeley!"

A voice interrupted them. Booth knew that voice. Hannah was here. Early. He turned to look at his girlfriend approach and smiled at her.

The beautiful blonde practically jumped on him, kissing him passionately. "I missed you."

"Me too," Booth muttered quietly. He really didn't want a reunion in front of Bones. "Hannah. This is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Bones took the woman's hand and smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

Hannah smiled widely. "I've heard a lot about you, Dr. Brennan. It's great to meet a friend of Seeley's."

Booth didn't miss the look that passed over Bones's delicate features. Something was wrong with his partner. And, like always, she just smiled and pretended that everything was perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for the nice reviews! I hope you like chapter 2 :)

-Gret

Temperance walked into the Jeffersonian and felt more like she had come home than when she had walked through the front door of her apartment.

Angela and Cam were standing over a body, discussing something in great detail. Hodgins walked over and planted a kiss on Ange's cheek. Brennan smiled, glad to see that some things stayed the same.

"Hello," a little girl of about six-years-old said, trying to get Temperance's attention.

"Hi. Who are you?"

"I'm Gigi Hodgins," the little girl said, her brows furrowed. "Aren't you supposed to be my mother's best friend? I would think you'd know who I am…"

Angela rushed over, noticing the confrontation happening just below the platform. "Oh, so not how I planned for this to go!" she said. Smiling from ear to ear she looked at her best friend. "Sweetie, you look amazing! Welcome home!"

Temperance forgot about the strange little girl for a moment and just hugged her best friend. After her reunion with Booth, she really needed this moment and she didn't want it to end.

"I missed you, Ange."

Hodgins walked over and scooped up the little girl. "I see you've met our little French souvenir," he said.

"Not exactly," Temperance said.

"We adopted when we were in Paris," Angela explained, walking over and taking the little girl's hand. "We just couldn't refuse. I mean, look at her, she's precious!"

"She does display a very nice structural foundation and has quite symmetrical—"

"She thinks you're beautiful, Gigi," Hodgins said quickly, cutting Temperance off and glowing with fatherly pride.

The little girl smiled and hugged Hodgins, who walked away with her, giving his wife some one-on-one time with her best friend.

"So things have changed," Temperance said, wistfully. "Everything's changed."

Angela, quick to take the cue that her friend was feeling pretty down, took her hand and forced her to catch her eyes with her own. "Bren, what's up? Are you okay?"

"There's just a lot of change happening right now," Temperance remarked, trying to keep her emotions intact. It was bad enough she shed a tear after merely hugging Booth. She couldn't help it. She had thought he was dead for a small period; she had thought she'd never have the chance to even see him again, let alone hold him. So when they did hug, she held on tight, and felt all the raw emotion rush to the surface. She reminded herself that he was right there, holding her too. He even smelled the same. Her Booth. He was okay. So she shouldn't be emotional.

She hadn't expected that he had fallen in love while he was away… with a beautiful, emotionally-_available_ woman.

"Booth has a girlfriend, you and Hodgins have a daughter—"

"Wait, wait, back up," Angela said.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm being rude. You and Hodgins have a daughter. Tell me about it – how did this happen?"

Angela smiled at her friend's attempt to practice normal social etiquette.

"That we can chat about later. Booth has a girlfriend?"

"Yes, I just met her. Her name is Hannah and she's quite beautiful. She looks like a movie star."

Angela frowned. "I'm really sorry."

Temperance met her friend's gaze and opened her mouth to deny that Booth having a girlfriend was something to be sorry about. But for once, she was too tired for any of that. Something inside hurt right now; Angela obviously knew that. And Temperance just didn't want to deny it anymore.

"Thanks, Ange." She squeezed her friend's hand.

They walked to a nearby bench and sat down.

"This is good for Booth, though. He was sad before we went our separate ways. I pushed him away."

"How do you feel about him now? Now that you had some distance and time to think?"

Temperance smiled sadly. Angela had no idea what happened in that time away. She had no idea that three months into her time in Maluku, when things were becoming sort of clear, but were still a little fuzzy, she was forced to think and know everything in a moment of clarity. The day that telegram came. When one major fact was written down erroneously, she understood everything, all at once.

She'd flown home immediately. It was her grief for her partner that put her in the situation she was in now.

"I would say that logically feelings are unimportant right now."

"Meaning…"

"Meaning, it does not matter what I think. Or what I feel. Feelings are irrational anyway. I've told you that. What matters is that Booth has a girlfriend." Temperance looked up at her friend, searching her expression. She appreciated her concern. But right now, her partner was happy and she couldn't bear to take that away from him. She'd caused him enough pain already. "He's finally happy, Ange."

"Maybe. I'll be the judge of that when I see him. But what about you? Are you happy?"

"I am happy to be home and see you. I was happy to see Booth. I want to solve crimes and put criminals and murderers behind bars again. I want to know more about Gigi Hodgins."

Angela laughed. "Gigi Hodgins is a little spark plug."

"A spark plug is an inanimate object." She sighed.

"What I mean is… she talks without thinking. She questions everything. She can't sit still. She's so beautiful, but she has no clue. She wants to try everything. She's so full of life and wonder – and adventure—"

"—she sounds like you."

Angela stopped in her tracks, truly moved at her friend's words. "I'm glad you're back," she said honestly.

"Me too."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

"So how come you never told me how beautiful Dr. Brennan was?" Hannah asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she chewed on her Chinese takeout. She stared intently at Booth.

Booth's mind was a million miles away; it had been since the moment Bones had shown up to the reflecting pool.

"Bones?"

Hannah smiled. "Yes. 'Bones.' She's gorgeous. Dark hair, blue eyes. She's a killer."

"I didn't think to mention her looks. I mean, she's my partner and friend. We talked about our families and friends together, but neither of us really got into what anyone looked like."

"I guess," Hannah said. "She just seems important to you, being your partner and all. I guess when I saw her today, I wasn't ready for her to look like that. I mean, god, the way you described her personality, I kind of pictured a frumpy, awkward, girl genius type."

"You can't really classify Bones in any 'type' category. And her personality does actually have some very—" Booth trailed off. If he said too much, Hannah might guess just how much he thought of his partner; how much he'd thought leading up to his meeting Hannah. "Well, she can say and do some unexpected things."

"Sorry I butted into your reunion. It seemed pretty intense. But I just couldn't stay away. I wanted to see you."

Booth turned and smiled at Hannah. "It's okay."

"You know, you've had that look on your face all night. The one that I noticed when I first met you. Like you're a million miles away, in the middle of some mental battle."

Booth tried his hardest to clear his face of that 'look'. To clear his mind of any thoughts of Bones. "Just eager to get back to work tomorrow. We have a pretty big case. It'll be good to just jump back in. It'll be good to have everything normal again."

"I felt like things were pretty normal for awhile there," Hannah said, moving to sit on his lap. She put her arms around his neck. He looked up at her and smiled. "They were certainly good. But 'normal' is going back to work at the FBI for me."

Hannah shrugged and stood. She began clearing the food, putting it away, and once her back was turned, Booth let his thoughts return to Bones.

He couldn't ignore the idea that something was really wrong. He wished he could go back to the reflecting pool and just do their whole reunion over. He'd give anything to know what she'd been about to say. Anything to know what had changed for her when she was away. What had become clear?

He was always lecturing her, since they met, about her social skills. Telling her that sometimes she just needed to know when to stop talking. It felt like a slap in the face now, his own inability to do that himself.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

"You wanted to see me?"

Dr. Lance Sweets turned around at the sound of Dr. Temperance Brennan's voice.

"Yes! Dr. Brennan, welcome home," he said.

"Thank you," she said, taking her usual seat. She looked so lonely sitting there, without Booth by her side.

"The last time I saw you, you'd had quite a shock," Sweets said.

"I thought Booth had been killed in Afghanistan," Brennan clarified.

Sweets noticed that while her words were so matter of fact, her voice shook, just a bit, at the end of her sentence. Remembering those days was clearly still painful for her. Thinking Booth had gone to that warzone and really died was something that threw her into a tailspin of emotional turmoil.

Sweets himself was the only one who knew that Brennan had come home. Daisy had phoned him from the islands to tell him that Brennan was headed back to DC because she received a telegram saying Booth had been killed.

Sweets had known it was untrue. He had known Seeley Booth was not killed in that explosion, that some misinformation had obviously come through the wires and made its way to the Maluku Islands. He had tried to find Brennan immediately to alleviate her pain. From past experience with letting her think Booth was dead when he wasn't, he learned that you cannot play with people's hearts, no matter how badly you might want to prove a theory.

When he'd found her at the reflecting pool, huddled in the rain, crying hysterically, his heart went out to her. With everything that happened between the two of them, how charged their relationship was, how connected they always seemed to be, how much their relationship had grown and changed in the past year especially, he could see that she had hit rock bottom, thinking he was dead. Gone forever from her life.

Sweets had run over and leaned down, and she'd hugged him so tightly. She clinged to him, her friend, and let him see all the pain she was feeling. Since she normally used all her energy to not let people see her pain, he was especially moved in that moment. Holding her, he whispered that the telegram had been wrong, that Booth was alive.

She had pulled back and stared at him, made him promise that he was not lying. He showed her the log that listed the details of the explosion, the official FBI log.

Her relief was visible, and yet… something seemed very off. She muttered something about not believing she had done something so big and Booth wasn't even dead. She wondered if it was too late. She panicked. Then she told him to tell no one she had come home and she fled.

The next time Daisy contacted him, it was to tell him that Brennan was back safely, happy in the knowledge Booth was alive. Sweets was glad to hear that.

But the next time Daisy wrote it was to tell him that Brennan was pregnant.

Now, he wanted her to tell him everything herself. Clearly in a moment of grief, she turned to someone for comfort. But who? Booth had been in Afghanistan. And Brennan was pregnant. Who was the father? And most importantly… was she okay?

"I'm not sure we need to talk about it," Brennan said, breaking into his stream of consciousness. "Obviously Booth isn't dead. Once again, I grieved for his loss unnecessarily." She shot him a steely glare with that comment.

"We don't need to talk about anything," Sweets said, smoothly. "I know you were incredibly upset to learn that Booth was killed. You flew home. I just want to know how you handled your grief while you were here. You know… before you saw me and realized that he was okay."

Temperance sighed. "Well, first I panicked. I… I wasn't prepared for the strong reaction about the news of Booth's death. It felt like something bad was physically happening to me. I experienced trouble breathing. I'm not sure why as my airways were clear. When I got back to DC, I made irrational decisions. But I'm dealing with everything pretty well, considering." She looked around casually. "So, are we done now?"

Sweets sighed. "Let's just chat some more, if you don't mind. Why don't you take off your coat."

Brennan hesitated, froze almost, at the suggestion to take her coat off.

"Dr. Brennan. I don't just think of you as a patient. You are my friend. First and foremost you're my friend."

"You know, don't you. Did Daisy tell you?"

Brennan stood up and faced away from Sweets. She crossed her arms and dropped her head. He could see she was uncomfortable.

"I'd be able to tell anyway," he said. "Reading people, body language, watching them closely… it's sort of my thing. I would have known."

After another moment, she took her coat off. She turned slowly around, revealing a small bump on her abdomen.

"Have you told anyone?" he asked.

She shook her head slowly, a tear slipping out of her eye. She wiped it fiercely.

"Why don't you tell me the whole story?"


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks again for the reviews! This chapter should explain a lot :)

BelleBones – you're good! Ha! :)

-Gret

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Booth bounded up the steps inside the lab, to the platform, where Cam, Angela, Hodgins and Daisy Wick stood. He looked around and clapped his hands once, smiling expectedly.

"Hey, squints. Long time no see. I missed you all. Now, where's Bones?"

Angela smiled. "Do you miss her?"

"Just hoping she didn't change her mind about working cases or something." He cleared his throat and fixed his tie, annoyed at how much Angela enjoyed putting people on the spot.

"She had an appointment this morning," Daisy said and all eyes turned to her. Why did Daisy suddenly know Brennan's schedule? "What? We got a little closer on our trip."

"Great, our first case back together, and she's not even here to greet me," Booth said, looking a little dejected.

"Don't you want to hear what's going on with the rest of us?" Hodgins asked. "You haven't seen us in seven months, Booth."

"Humor me," Booth said, resting against the railing, looking at his squinty family that was only missing one face. One very important face.

"Well Hodgins and I adopted a six-year-old Parisian girl from an orphanage. Her name's Gigi and you're going to love her! You're going to want to marry Parker off to her!"

"In about twenty years," Hodgins chimed in.

Booth smiled. "Really? That's great. You two move fast. In less than a year you found each other again, got married and have a six-year-old."

Angela and Hodgins smiled at that. She hugged him and looked around at the rest of the crew. "Oh, and Cam's in a new relationship."

Booth turned to Cam in surprise. "The doctor?"

"Actually, no," Cam said. "An FBI agent. The one who took over as the liaison to the Jeffersonian when you were gone."

"You are dating the new me?" Booth asked, his smile growing. It did feel good to be home, catching up with his people.

"I am dating the new you, Seeley," Cam said. "Though his belt buckle is nothing to write home about."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

"I'm not sure you want to hear the whole story," Brennan said, hoping to get Sweets off her back. He already knew too much. "It's boring."

"It's actually a very big deal," Sweets interjected. "You're pregnant."

Brennan smiled, despite herself. "Yes. I am."

"Oh good, a smile. So, you're happy about this."

"I am. I was very nervous at first. But I can't help now feeling… happy."

"And that's perfectly natural. So why don't you tell me about it?"

Brennan sighed and looked away, at all the familiar things around Sweets's office. She really didn't want to tell him anything. It was her experience. It happened to her. Just because he practiced soft science didn't give him the right to expect people to just open up about everything all the time.

When she looked back at him, Sweets was watching her closely. "The way I see it is… we're friends, Dr. Brennan. And right now, you need one of those. A friend in the know. If you haven't told anyone, I think you need to. Don't talk to me like this is one of our sessions. Just… talk to me like I'm one of your friends."

She sighed and crossed her legs. "Well, you are one of my friends," she said truthfully. Because he was. Not even close to one of her best friends. But he was certainly a friend. A bottom rung friend.

"Great. It might feel good to tell a friend about everything that's changed in your life. To just get it all off your chest. Right now, you're handling it all alone. That must be hard."

She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "That is hard," she admitted. She looked back at Sweets.

For a minute, neither one said anything. Brennan still looked around the office, taking it all in. Finally she took a deep breath and launched into her story. The story of how her baby came to be.

"Well, I already told you that I did not react well to the news that Booth had been killed. I was really upset. Having trouble breathing. When I got back to DC, I thought being home might make me feel better. Well, it didn't. Everything reminded me of Booth. The idea I'd never see him again… it was devastating. And I figured out…"

"Yes?" Sweets said when she trailed off.

Brennan knew how eager he was for this part. "Yes, Dr. Sweets, I figured out what you always said. I figured out that I… l-loved him."

She swallowed. That was a tough thing to say out loud, to someone other than herself. Even just Sweets.

"You're in love with Agent Booth?" Sweets said, trying not to smile. Clearly trying not to giggle and say 'I told you so!'

"Yes. I just said that," Brennan said. "Anyway, I realized it too late. I mean, I thought I realized it too late. I thought he was dead. And I felt like he was there at all because of me. I encouraged him to leave. I rejected his offer of love to me last year. I pushed him away – and he got killed."

She looked away, tears stinging her eyes. "The worst thing for me was the feeling that such a good man was gone. Knowing I had the chance to experience love from someone like him and I turned it down. I wanted him to be alive and for him to be a part of my life. I needed him to stay alive and be a part of my life."

"So what happened? Did you run into an ex? Turn to him in anguish and… um… make a baby?"

"What? No," Brennan said dismissively like the very idea was the dumbest thing she could ever have heard. "Why would I do that?"

"Sometimes when people grieve for someone they love, they express their emotions physically. With someone else."

"That seems a strange way to handle the loss of a loved one. What I did was more logical. At least at the time, it made sense to me. Though now I realize that Booth was right that when you make decisions when you're feeling emotional, it might be likened to operating heavy machinery after a root canal."

Sweets raised his eyebrows at that.

"So if you didn't fall into the arms of another man in a moment of grief, who's the father of your baby?"

Brennan furrowed her eyebrows and stared at Sweets. Had he been listening? "Booth," she said, like it was plain as day.

"Booth?"

Sweets put a hand through his hair; he was clearly confused. "Did you go to Afghanistan?"

"No."

"Did Booth come to DC when you were in town?"

"No."

"Then how…"

"Artificial insemination," she stated as if they were simply discussing the weather. While Sweets processed that, Brennan grew agitated. She felt like a caged animal. She bolted out of her seat and began pacing.

"Before Booth went into surgery for his brain tumor, he told me that if he didn't make it, that I could use his sample and have his baby."

"Oh my god," Sweets said.

"All I could hear, after I landed in DC and walked around and thought of Booth everywhere I looked, was his voice. Telling me if he didn't make it, to have his baby. I went straight to the hospital and did it. I was so desperate to keep part of Booth alive and in my life. Having his baby kept him alive to me. And since it's my baby, it tied me to Booth forever." She stopped and turned to look at Sweets. "I know it's stupid. It was irrational and stupid."

"It makes perfect sense, Dr. Brennan. It makes perfect sense."

She sat back down again.

"Now Booth is finally happy. He has a girlfriend and she's beautiful—"

"I think Booth thinks you're pretty beautiful, too—"

"A lot of people think I'm beautiful, Dr. Sweets. By society's standards, I fair quite well."

Sweets smiled. He missed this about Dr. Brennan; her blunt honesty.

"His new girlfriend has long blonde hair. Like Rebecca. She's young and she kind of bounces around with energy. She's the exact opposite of me. And she looks at him the way he deserves to be looked at. I ignored him. For a very long time. He deserves this."

"How did he look at her?"

"What?" She looks up at that.

"You mentioned how she looked at him. How did he look at her?" Sweets clarified.

"I think he looked at her like she was beautiful and young and bouncy – and someone he was happy with. Happy." She thought about that. "He's happy."

"Are you sure he's happy? He could just be… dealing with the cards that he thinks life has handed to him."

"I think he's happy," Brennan said, sadly. "And I am not going to get in the way."

"He needs to know what happened. He needs to know that you are pregnant for starters and carrying his baby."

"He doesn't need to know any of that right now. We have time."

"You'll really start showing soon."

Brennan rested her hand on her stomach, feeling the comfort the touch brought once again. "I know. And I'll handle that when it happens. For now, I want him to have a chance to make a life with Hannah."

"He doesn't have all the facts. It's unfair."

Brennan stood. "Do you know what's unfair?" she asked, her eyes hard and cold. "It's unfair that I was so emotionally… _stunted_… that I couldn't even understand my own heart until I thought my partner was dead. It's unfair that he loved me when I wasn't ready and that I love him now that he's moved on. This whole thing is a million different kinds of unfair. But none of it involves you, Sweets. This is about me and Booth. I'll decide when he finds out. This appointment is over."

Grabbing her coat, she stormed out of his office. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she realized that while she was happy to have talked to someone about everything, she felt worse now about the whole mess than she had before.

What was she supposed to do? Should she tell Booth?

Her stomach twisted as she pictured Booth kissing Hannah the day before.

He really was happy. She couldn't tell him yet. He needed his chance. He completely deserved it.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! THANK YOU for the reviews for the story so far. Too funny that many of you guessed she was artificially inseminated when she thought he was dead; I thought I wrote it so subtly, but you all picked up on it! So hopefully there's some good B & B moments packed into chapter 4 for you. Thanks for reading! 

-Gret

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Chapter 4

Booth was just about to give up and go to the crime scene without his partner when she rounded the corner of the lab. Without noticing him, she walked into her office and closed the door.

Yes, something was definitely up with his partner. She normally was so turned on, in early, out late, always checking to see what was happening on the platform. She didn't even glance at it; didn't even notice him standing there, looking right at her.

He walked to her door and knocked softly. "Bones?"

After a moment, he heard a couple sounds, things moving, then her voice say "Yes, come in."

He opened the door and saw her sitting at her desk. She looked tired. Really tired, come to think of it. She was tired and drained before she left for the islands; she should look rejuvenated and refreshed now, right?

"You okay, Bones?"

She met his gaze at that, looking surprised. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine," she said. Then she sighed and gave him a half-smirk, letting him see the honesty in her eyes. "Okay, I'm a little tired. I haven't slept much since I've been back in DC."

He stood in front of her desk and smiled back at her. "Still fighting jet lag?"

"I guess," she said. "So I apologize that I'm not at my normal energy levels."

He smiled, wondering how energetic she imagined herself to be at her most 'normal'. "Well, do you have enough energy to come with me to a crime scene?"

Brennan smiled, and relief washed over Booth; this was what he liked to see, his Bones smiling, eager to get into the field, and solve crimes with him.

As they walked out of the Jeffersonian and jumped into his car, he vowed to himself that he would get her to open up – and finally finish telling him what she'd started telling him at the reflecting pool.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan thought about what Sweets said. It was unfair to allow Booth to create a life with Hannah without all the facts. And yet… if he knew the whole story, it would throw his whole life, the perfect picture he created for himself, into turmoil. He'd question things. He'd do what was right. He offered to marry Rebecca out of a sense of obligation. He was an alpha male and he fulfilled any duties he felt were his responsibility.

She didn't want him to leave the woman he was in love with out of a sense of obligation because of what she did while he was away. When she thought about it logically, it just didn't seem fair to him.

Her heart told another story, however. She wasn't used to understanding her own emotions so clearly. But ever since she thought Booth had been killed, she'd been able to understand her own heart quite well. It seemed to speak loudly and clearly. She loved Booth. She felt that with as much certaintly as she felt when looking at Bones and analyzing them under a microscope. She could break science down until the truth was undeniable and conclusive.

Somehow, her feelings for Booth, irrational as it seemed, were as conclusive now as her science.

She had planned to see him at the reflecting pool and just tell him. Apologize for turning him down without ever giving his feelings the proper reflection on her end. She would tell him that she'd been wrong to tell him they couldn't be more than partners and friends. And she would kiss him. She wanted so badly to kiss him, now that she was aware of her feelings.

She had never been with a man that she was in love with before. She had slept with men that she enjoyed spending time with; nice men; decent human beings; men she was simply very fond of.

She had never in her life… what did Booth call it? _Made love. _She had never done that. And the idea excited her. She was curious to see if sex was better when you were in love with the person you were engaging in intercourse with.

So after the kiss at the reflecting pool, they would've gone back to either her place or his – assuming he still had feelings for her, too – and they'd approach sex with a 'making love' mentality. And in the afterglow of their lovemaking, she would tell him how it was that she learned her feelings finally.

She'd tell him about the telegram, about her return trip to DC, and about her impetuous decision that led to life-altering consequences.

And she was excited for all of that as she ran to meet him at the reflecting pool. He had seemed so truly in love with her before they went their separate ways. While she knew he wanted to move on, she had thought in Afghanistan he'd be surrounded by soldiers – and romance would be a far off dream.

She had hoped that he thought of her in his time away, and maybe still harbored that hope for them that he had so recently.

She hadn't planned on Hannah. The moment she let Booth's new relationship really process though, she knew with the certainty that told her she loved him, that she needed to let him be happy. Because she loved him.

"You're pretty quiet today, Bones," Booth commented, breaking her out of her reveries.

"I was just thinking about my trip," she said smoothly. "Did you enjoy training soldiers?"

Booth looked sideways at her and gave her his charming half-smile. "It was good to work with the soldiers. I think they learned a lot, and hopefully I did help save some lives. Just like you said I would."

Brennan sighed sadly at that.

"What's wrong?"

She looked at him as he concentrated on the road. "I shouldn't have voiced an opinion one way or the other about you going to Afghanistan."

"It was your opinion. I'm glad you encouraged me to go and help, to save lives. Bones, your opinion is one of the few in this whole world that matters to me."

She smiled. "But all the same, you were thinking about going into a war zone. It was dangerous. And I just thought about you saving lives. I… I didn't think enough about what you were risking. I am sorry. I hope you know that I would never willingly send you into a dangerous situation."

"Thanks. I know that. I'd lay my life down to keep you out of danger. I know you care, too."

She smiled and looked out the window at the familiar scenery of her home city.

"Did you hear about the explosion near our unit?" Booth asked, steeling a glance her way once more. "Is that why you thought about that?"

She couldn't lie. Even if it wasn't time for the whole truth, he deserved to know a little bit of it now. "I actually heard about it in about the worst way possible."

"What do you mean?"

"A telegram came to me in Indonesia. It said you died."

She looked at her lap. The words were easier to say to him – it was proof he was still here, if she could recount that awful day to him in person. But it still choked her up to think about how she felt reading that awful, awful telegram.

Booth seemed to notice her emotions and swerved the car to the side of the road, stopping abruptly.

"Booth! What—"

"Are you serious? You thought I died?_ Again?"_

"I agree that it's unfair that I've now thought you were killed _twice _when you weren't. You once talked about cosmic balance sheets. Wouldn't the balanced scenario be that for once you find out I'm dead falsely?"

He closed his eyes for a quick moment and opened them staring at a space somewhere between them. "I don't know how I would handle that." He met her eyes. "It actually scares me to think what I would do if something happened to you – or even if I just thought something bad happened to you."

"I can vouch from experience that it's very unpleasant, to find this information out. I sincerely hope that the next time I find out you're dead, that you're over ninety years old and actually deceased."

He smiled softly. "Thanks, Bones. I'm really sorry – honestly – that that happened to you. I will find out what happened that you received a telegram with such a mistake in it—"

She waved her hand dismissively. At one time, she was so enraged at the unknown person that caused her such grief and emotional turmoil. The person that caused her to make a massive life decision under false pretenses. But once she realized how wonderful it was to understand love – from being in love to feeling love grow inside of you in the form of a little baby, her baby – she forgave the imbecile responsible for such a major gaffe and for the first time ever put some stock in fate.

"It's okay. Now," she amended.

"So did another telegram with the correct information come right away? I hope you didn't worry or… or think I was dead for too long," he said. He squeezed his eyes closed, clearly hating this. He seemed to be a mix of angry, annoyed and just sorry that this happened.

"Not exactly. Sweets found me and put an end to my suffering," she said simply.

"Sweets… flew to the Maluku Islands?"

"No. He… he found me at the reflecting pool, actually."

Booth thought about this for a long moment then turned to her again. "You flew home? When?"

"I'd been in Indonesia for three months when the telegram came. I got the next flight back to DC." She looked down again. She couldn't keep eye contact, knowing exactly what happened when she arrived in DC.

"Is that what you were trying to tell me yesterday?" he asked. "Before I interrupted you?"

"Yes. That was a major part of what I was going to say. But I think we should just go to the crime scene now. Focus on our case for a bit. I don't really want to think about that telegram or returning to DC. It was painful and I think I will work better at the crime scene if I'm in a more positive mindset."

"Okay," Booth said. He started the engine back up, but before driving away he looked at her once more. "I'm sorry you went through something so painful – and that I didn't know about it, that I couldn't help you."

"It's okay. You didn't know," she said, shrugging. "But Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm _really _glad that you weren't killed in that explosion. I… I don't like to think of a world that you're not in. I'm just happy that you're here right now."

"Ditto, Bones." He pulled the car into the road. "Ditto."


	5. Chapter 5

You guys are all so sweet, and the reason I am up at 3:30 am updating this! Thanks for the comments! Hope you enjoy the next part.

-Gret

Chapter 5

Booth stared intently at his partner as she leaned over the burnt corpse in the woods. The whole place smelled of burnt wood and flesh; the horrid smell of murder he could never seem to escape.

And Bones just leaned down, detailing to the local sheriff the details. Female, late-20s… pregnant. He hated this case already. He could see that Bones did too. With her time away from crime-solving he imagined that even she, the unwavering Temperance Brennan, could have a hard time getting back into the field when all their work ever did was constantly remind them of the types of horrible people that existed in this world.

"Bones, how you holding up?" he asked when they were finally left alone.

"I'm fine, Booth," she said, an underlying tone of annoyance creeping into her voice. She always did hate when he was overprotective – and over-perceptive – of her.

"Just checking. I'm already not looking forward to this case."

"What kind of murder do you look forward to?"

"What? I don't like any kind of murder."

"Based on your statement, it seems like you prefer certain types of murder over others."

Booth rolled his eyes and put his notepad away. "Bones, I wish there was no murder, ever, and that we could go fishing every day."

"I don't fish."

He grunted. "You know, you can really get under my skin," he said. But he knew it was a lie. He missed her and how literal she could be.

They began walking back to the car.

"And if there were no murder, we wouldn't know each other."

He looked at her and smiled. "You know, Bones – I think you just named the only pro in the world about murder."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan was studying the corpse on the lab table, trying hard to ignore the nagging feeling inside, like something tightening in her stomach. She thought she could handle any case, any time, under any circumstances.

She was great at compartmentalizing. She could separate herself always from her work. If a case hit close to home, she could remind herself that it had nothing to do with her. She could approach victims with no bias. There was no room for bias in science. There was no room for emotions.

And yet… this woman was different. She wondered if this woman was as excited as she was to find out she was pregnant. She wondered if she'd thought of names for her baby. She wondered if she loved the baby already – even so early.

"You cannot work on this case," Sweets said, appearing beside her. Brennan jumped and looked at him. A quick scan of the room revealed that they were in fact alone.

"I'm fine, Sweets. And you and I are not discussing my life anymore. That conversation ended in your office. I told you that."

"I know. And I'm here as a friend. Friends can say whatever they want, whenever they want, even if it's not welcome. If they think it's in the best interest of their friend. And I think this case is not in your best interest, Dr. Brennan."

She stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him. "I think it's a shame what happened to this young woman – and her baby," she spit out, her voice dropping a bit on the last word. "But she is not me. I do understand that. I can do my job because I understand that."

He stared at her for a long moment. "I can come up with a reason for you to do something else during this case. No one needs to know why I pulled you off of it. You don't need to tell anyone anything until you're ready. I just think that you should do something else. You just got back from Indonesia. Maybe identifying a medieval warrior will make you feel better."

"I feel fine," she interjected. "And I have identified thousands of warriors. This case is imminent. And Booth needs my help."

"Does he have any idea how close this case comes to home for you?" Sweets asked in an intense whisper.

"What did you just say?"

Brennan turned to see Angela standing behind her. Sweets jumped. Neither saw her approach.

"Why would a case about a dead pregnant woman hit too close to home for you?" Angela asked. Her eyes immediately began scanning her best friend.

The loose-fitting clothes clearly gave away enough for Angela. She muttered "oh my god."

Brennan closed her eyes and looked at Sweets angrily.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan."

Brennan sighed. "It's okay. It's just Angela." She turned to her best friend. "I'll meet you in my office in just a minute."

Angela walked away, still in a daze.

Brennan turned to look at Sweets, who officially looked afraid of her wrath. And in that moment, she felt a little bit sorry for him. She'd done nothing but yell at him lately – and he really was trying to help her.

"Sweets, it's okay. You are my friend. I am going to talk to Angela. And I will think about what you said about this case. But if I decide to work the case with Booth, you have to respect that. _Please_."

Sweets leaned back against the railing and crossed his arms. "I respect you. But I do think that sometimes you tend to alienate your emotions. You don't give them the proper attention or processing. And I do not want to see you have a meltdown because of it." He put a hand through his hair, clearly thinking. "Okay. You check in with me every day, first thing in the morning. I can meet you early if you need to get into work early."

"Sweets, I really don't think—"

"Now I'm not talking as your friend. I'm talking as your FBI psychologist. And if you want to continue to work this case, I insist you meet with me. If at any point, I think you need to come off the case, I'll have to—"

"Okay, Sweets. First thing. Every day. Now, I have to go talk to Angela."

With that she turned on her heel and headed into her office.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

"Angela? Are… you okay?" Brennan asked. Brennan sat on her couch, hands folded, calm as ever. She had just told Angela the facts. All the facts. She did it in as calm and unemotional a way as she could manage.

Angela looked shell shocked for some reason.

"You're pregnant with Booth's baby?" Angela finally managed.

"Yes, that is correct."

"And he has no idea?"

"Well since he and I have never had sexual intercourse, I doubt he'd guess the baby was his right away. If he did, I'd give him a lot of credit."

"You and me both," Angela said, still wrapping her mind around the truth. "Wow. I can't even believe this. You thought Booth was dead, you came home distraught, realizing you do love him – which by the way I knew all along – and impregnated yourself with his sample to keep him alive?"

"Yes. Exactly."

"Sweetie… are you… are you okay? This is huge. This is a lot. And Booth having a girlfriend now, I mean… are you? Okay?"

Brennan met her friends warm gaze with her own. "I have to be. What choice do I have?"

"You can run right to his little FBI office and tell him _everything."_

"I already went over that with you. If he has the chance to just be happy, shouldn't I let him have it?"

"If he found out everything, he'd be over the moon."

"You don't know that."

"I do know that."

"How can you know that for sure, Ange?"

"Let's just say that I've watched you two since back when you both couldn't stand each other. I've paid attention. To the little looks. The comments. The connection that just kept growing and growing. The concern for each other. The love. I've been right here, front and center, your biggest fan, rooting and just observing. What I saw on his end doesn't just vanish because a pretty blonde caught his eye when he was on the other side of the world from you, thinking there was no chance in the world you'd ever return his feelings."

Brennan smiled. "I'd like to think you're right. But… if he gives up everything just because it's the right thing to do because he's an Alpha male – then he once again puts everyone's happiness ahead of his own. I desperately want him to be happy and not feel obliged to anyone."

"You're not an obligation. Or a duty."

"With your pregnancy scare, when you were with Wendell – you broke up with him because you're not a duty. Hodgins never made you feel that way. But Wendell did. Sweet and wonderful as you thought he was, you didn't want your happy ending that way."

"I understand, Bren. I do." Angela took her friend's hands in her own. "But trust me. You and Booth are not me and Wendell. Not even a little. Hodgins is my guy and he always has been. Just like you're Booth's girl. And you always will be."

Brennan stood up and walked over to her chair. She put her coat on as Angela watched nervously.

"Where are you going?"

"To see Booth. I'll just make it clear that he should do whatever makes him happy. I will make it clear that he shouldn't feel obligated about anything. But I guess you and Sweets are right. I need to just tell him everything."

Angela smiled. "Oh, I wish I could be a fly on the wall at the FBI this afternoon."

"Why would you want to be an insect?" Brennan asked, stopping at the door to look at her. "Your husband studies and dissects insects."

"Just go, sweetie. And come right back because I want to hear _everything."_


	6. Chapter 6

You guys have no idea how much each & every review means to me. I really hope you enjoy the next part.

-Gret

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

"So what time do you think you'll be home?" Hannah asked.

Booth held the phone and sat back in his office chair. He had no leads on the new case, and he had not talked to Bones after they left the crime scene to see if she or any other squints had found out anything that could be classified as a 'lead' from examining the remains.

It was strange, being home now. In Afghanistan, he spent every free moment with Hannah. He was happy to spend all his time with her there. They had chemistry and fun; she came from a completely different background; she was fascinating, excited and passionate.

Now he was here, back to working cases with his team. He realized that typically, on a night like tonight with a new case starting, he'd take dinner over to Bones – or make her join him at the diner. Or they'd have a late night at her place, discussing the case. Sometimes they'd do that at his place.

Now – things were different. None of that exactly seemed appropriate. Hannah didn't really know anyone in town. Things had to change. What he once considered 'normal' was going to keep changing. And while he really enjoyed being with Hannah, while he was excited to see if she might be the person he'd build a long life with – something twisted in his stomach at the idea of change. He wasn't a huge fan of change.

"Seeley? You still there?'

"I think I can be there in an hour," he said before hanging up.

"Hi, Booth."

Booth whirled his chair around and was pleasantly surprised to see Bones standing before his desk.

"Bones, hey! I wasn't expecting to see you. What've you got? A break in the case?"

"Not yet. Angela is working on a reconstruction. And Hodgins was still examining the particulates. They got a babysitter but she's only there with Gigi until eight, so I think they'll have to continue in the morning."

"That's fine," he said, confused by her presence. "Did you come here to tell me that? Are you hungry, because Hannah's cooking something—"

"No, no. I'll get food when I leave. You and Hannah should eat together. Just the two of you."

Booth felt something clench inside as he sensed anxiety rolling off of Bones in waves. She seemed legitimately nervous. He stood up and moved around the desk to stand beside her.

"You okay, Bones?"

"Yes. I'm… I'm fine. But I have something to tell you. Something very important."

Booth gulped. He didn't know if he could take anything big from Bones. The last time they talked about something big, they wound up on separate sides of the world for seven months.

Just looking at her, fidgeting, and not making eye contact – he knew this could possibly be even bigger than that confession. Scary as that thought was. He really didn't want to lose his partner, not after he'd just gotten her back.

"What is it?" he said, his voice nearly failing him as his own nerves took over.

Bones turned and closed the door to his office before finally making eye contact. She smiled nervously. "I just want some privacy," she explained.

"Sure." Now his stomach was in knots.

She walked around the office, looking at all of this things. "It looks the same," she remarked. "Didn't you get any new souvenirs from Afghanistan?"

"There really wasn't a lot of time for shopping sprees what with the war going on and all," he quipped.

"Right. Sorry," she said quietly, still scanning the room.

She picked up a photo on his desk of Parker and Booth together, smiling. It was his favorite photo of him and his son. Well – one of them. Any photo Parker was in ranked up there. And photos of them together, just enjoying each other – those ranked highest. Those were sacred.

The one that Bones was staring at was taken at Parker's birthday last year. They were at a park, sitting on the bench together – utterly unaware anyone was taking a picture of them. It was candid and captured everything, all the love between the Booth boys.

"You are a really great father, Booth," Bones said, placing the photo back where she found it.

"Yeah, thanks Bones," he said, realizing that she was delaying telling him the 'big' something she came here to tell him. "So… what did you want to talk to me about?"

She sighed and just looked at him. "Sorry. I don't normally get nervous. I don't like it," she confessed.

He smiled, his heart warming at her quiet admission. "It's just me. And you can tell me anything."

She stopped pacing finally and stood in front of him. Her eyes were closed, like she was counting – or trying to get the nerve up to tell him what she needed to. She was definitely shredding his nerves, telling him her news like this.

"I'm pregnant," she said quickly. Then she opened her eyes to look at him closely.

Booth's eyebrows shot up; he had not been expecting… _that. _"You're pregnant?" he echoed. He ran a hand through his hair and walked away from her, towards the back of his desk again. A safe distance from her and her news.

How did that happen? Who had she been with? What man was going to be forever tied to Temperance Brennan's life through her baby? His stomach twisted and he found it hard to look at her. Though when he eventually did look at her, he saw she had removed her coat. Through her loose-fitting shirt he could see it staring at him, plain as day; a small, barely visible baby bump.

"How… when?" he stammered.

"Four months ago," she said, her voice thick and constricted. "When I came back to DC and I thought that you were… that you were dead," she started.

Then she just stopped. Her eyes were bright and she seemed at a loss for words. Temperance Brennan was at a loss for words. That never happened. In a flash, he could see some of the pain she had experienced four months ago, and it tugged at his heart. He vowed he'd find out what imbecile at the bureau was responsible for getting that telegram to her in Indonesia – for causing all of this.

At once, he realized what happened and anger coursed through him. Someone must have taken advantage of her when she was vulnerable. She returned home to DC thinking her friend and partner had been killed – and someone used it as an opportunity to get her between the sheets. He knew a dozen guys at the bureau that wanted to do exactly that with his partner. Usually a couple words from Seeley Booth scared them off from ever trying anything. But… without Booth around to make sure…

"Booth?" Bones said. "You're unfocused and… and very serious."

"Well, this is big news, Bones. How did this happen?"

"That's actually a unique story," she said, sort of half-smiling, like she hoped that he'd find it unique, too.

Only he couldn't smile back. He knew he wouldn't find any story about a man getting her pregnant very amusing.

"I don't need exact details, Bones. I know how babies are made."

"Not this baby," she offered, honestly.

"See, now that's true," he said. "But I am really not curious about how your baby came to be, just… who, Bones?"

He sat down. Why did his legs feel like Jell-O? He stared at his hands folded on his desk, a conflict of emotions passing over him too fast to process. Something inside seemed to hurt – and he couldn't figure out why. From looking at her, now that she'd finally spit out the news, he could tell she seemed happy about this. Why did this news bother him so? She had decided awhile ago that she wanted a baby. She was going to be a mother, she seemed happy about it – and he was her friend. He should be happy for her.

When she said nothing he looked up at her, and noticed that she'd gone still. She was clearly nervous again. "What?" he asked.

"You," she said; and something in her throat made it sound like a whisper.

"Me what?" he asked, thrown by what she was saying.

"You asked 'who'. Well, _you_ are the 'who'," she said.

She let out a deep breath after the words were out of her mouth and collapsed into a chair. She leaned forward and looked at him. "I did not like that one bit," she said, her breathing still labored. "I'm not accustomed to feeling nervous, or having apparently very big news. It's not pleasant to have to tell someone something so—"

Booth just ignored her, and stared ahead, shell-shocked. She couldn't mean… she couldn't mean that he was the baby's father. How could that be possible…

Unless…

"You used my stuff?" he asked, his face twisted. His heart started hammering a staccato rhythm in his chest.

"Yes," she said, quickly.

His mind was racing, going a hundred miles per hour. "Without my permission?"

"Actually, you did give me permission," she stated. "Remember, on your way into surgery for your brain tumor, you said if you didn't make it, that I could use your stuff and have my baby?"

_What? _He remembered saying it, but somehow thought that if he ever died, she wouldn't go running to the hospital, excited to finally make her dream baby. He knew her. He knew Temperance Brennan. She was rational. She was logical. And she was literal.

If he said that once, she clearly interpreted it to mean that she could only use his stuff if he died.

No wonder she never mentioned it at all last year. He'd lived. Had she been partly upset since that meant she couldn't use his stuff then?

No, no… he knew she was happy he'd pulled through surgery. Right?

Ugh, his mind was a mess right now.

"You're upset," she stated. "Booth, I'm sorry. I know it's a shock. And you have a new life with Hannah…"

"Hannah," he muttered. That's right. He had finally found someone that gave him an ounce of hope that she could love him in thirty years and forty years and fifty years… he didn't need this right now. "Is this why you came back to DC when you heard about me?" he asked.

Something in her eyes – something very raw and emotional – sparked at that and she opened her mouth to say… _something. _Though he'd never know what, because she closed it, like she thought better of it.

"No. No, that wasn't what brought me back to DC. Booth, you should go and have dinner with your girlfriend. Let this news digest. And know that I didn't meant to hurt anyone."

She stood and put her coat on. He watched her, unsure of what to say. He wanted to tell her to stop. Tell her they needed to talk more about this. But he couldn't. His mind was on an emotional roller coaster, and he really didn't want to say anything he'd regret. He swallowed hard and just stared at her.

The woman he swore was the woman of his dreams just a couple months ago was pregnant with his baby. She made an unemotional, reasoned, logical decision based on a comment he made to her once. And now she was bringing a child into the world as a result. And somehow this changed things for _him, _too. He was minding his own business, trying to move on after this woman broke his heart – and now this.

It was unfair.

For the first time ever, he wasn't sure that Temperance Brennan was the woman he believed her to be.

As she walked out of his office, she looked a mix of hurt, sorry and determined; she clearly wanted to make peace with him on this topic. Maybe she'd assumed he'd hug her and say "forget Hannah, let's raise our baby together! I'm so happy!" Or maybe she thought he'd say "Great Bones, thanks for telling me. This is totally fine and so not a big deal."

When he was left alone, his mind was reeling. He was supposed to go home and have dinner with Hannah. What was he supposed to tell her?


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay, I had hoped to post this yesterday, but it took awhile to write. As you'll see, there's a lot in this chapter. Anyway, THANK YOU for the reviews and I hope you enjoy the next installment.

-Gret

**Chapter 7**

Brennan had walked for awhile; she was finally getting tired. She got tired so much quicker and more often nowadays. She had read about this particular side effect of pregnancy, but had assumed that with proper activity and vitamin intake she could live exactly the same life as before. She assumed she could beat all of the side effects.

She had successfully fought off that morning sickness side effect. Well, except for one time. She wouldn't go near eggplant again until her baby was here.

She wanted to head back to the lab and do an all-nighter, take every clue the team had come up with so far and try to figure out something that would help the case. Maybe if she cracked the case open, Booth would look at her once again like he actually… liked her. She shivered, remembering the look on Booth's face as the truth settled in for him.

She decided against going to the lab, since her eyes felt like heavy weights. But she didn't want to go home either. She just had no desire to sit there. The very idea of it made her feel lonely. Too lonely. She couldn't face that. Not after tonight. She found herself at a familiar door.

"Sweetie, hi!" Angela said – though her smile faded fast, replaced by a look of concern. "Come in. You look awful."

"I walked around. A lot," Brennan said. Angela stood aside for Brennan to enter. She took her coat off and sat down.

"Angela's right," Hodgins added. "You don't look good. Let me get you some herbal tea," he said quickly, leaving the room muttering something about how a tea bar in Paris had totally changed his life, and calmed his nerves. He even claimed that tea had healing powers. Well, she hoped that was true.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Angela asked, sitting beside her.

"I told him, Ange," Brennan said, her eyes filling with tears. "And… well, I guess it doesn't matter. It's good that he knows. It was the right thing to do, right?"

Angela nodded. "Right."

Hodgins reappeared in the doorway, looking at his friend with concern. "The tea should be ready in a few minutes. Should I make up the guest room?"

"What? No," Brennan said hastily. "I only stopped by to… say hi," she finished lamely. Who dropped by to say hi at eleven at night?

"Yes, get the guest room ready," Angela said to her husband. Then, she looked back at Brennan. "You're staying here tonight."

Brennan gave her friend a sad, sort of half smile, her eyes still shining. "Thanks, Angela."

"What happened?"

Brennan leaned forward, resting on her knees. "He looked at me the way other people look at me."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes people look at me like I'm just… a cold scientist. Like I'm too practical, and too removed. Like I have no emotions." She sighed and looked closely at Angela. "The people who know me better, you, Booth – you look at me differently. And I like that look. It's different from theirs."

"Sweetie, you are a great person. You're right; people who don't see it just don't know you."

"I saw it, Ange. In his eyes. It was like a light switched off. The way Booth looks at me – one of the reasons I love being around him – is because of that light. The look _is_ hope and friendship, understanding and compassion."

"And you saw the light go off…"

"Well, there isn't an actual light in his eyes. I was being facetious." She shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not my strong point."

"I know what you meant, Bren. What I am wondering is… are you sure the light went off? He had a lot to process. Maybe what you saw was just him processing all the facts."

"He stepped away from me when I said I was pregnant. And when I said the baby was his, his face did something very strange – like the idea appalled him. He seemed really upset about what I did. But I don't understand. I mean, he knew I had his sample. He provided it voluntarily for exactly this reason. I assume he knew that someday we might have this conversation—"

"—Though I doubt he thought it would be _exactly _these circumstances —"

"— and he actually asked me if the reason I came back to DC when I heard he'd been killed was just to get pregnant."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

Angela bowed her head, letting it all sink in. "But what did he say when you told him the real reason you came back? What did he say when you told him that you couldn't focus on anything due to how destroyed you were emotionally? What did he say when you told him you realized that you loved him? That you decided to have this baby when you did because of your love."

Brennan was hoping Angela wouldn't ask that. But seeing as Angela was a romantic at heart, she should've guessed she would. Logically it only made sense. "I left that part out," Brennan said simply, hoping that would settle that topic.

It didn't.

"Oh, well now this is starting to make sense. Why would you leave that part out? That is pretty much the biggest part."

"I would argue that me having Booth's baby was the biggest confession. The _love_… that's not a big deal."

"Now you sound like your old self, like you're putting up walls to protect yourself. Brennan, it's just me."

Brennan stared ahead at the living room of her friends' house. So many pictures decorated the mantel, pictures of love. Gigi was in most of them now – the cute, new family exploring Paris together. There was a picture of Hodgins and Angela posing in front of the jail where they were married. There was a photo of the gang at the lab. Booth was standing next to Brennan. Everyone was smiling. Everyone was so happy.

Why did she leave to go digging on the other side of the world? The five years she spent with those people – her family – were the happiest times in her whole life. And she abandoned it all.

"Okay," Angela said finally, breaking the silence. "I'll play along and talk to old Brennan for a second. Sure. Telling Booth that he is going to be a father again was a huge piece of information. It was definitely the biggest confession he was going to get tonight, bar none."

Brennan looked at her friend, confused. "I just said that."

"He must've asked why you did it."

Brennan thought back to the conversation in Booth's office. "He didn't. He wanted to know who the father was. And once I told him… I think he started creating his own 'why'… and he didn't seem to like whatever that was."

"If he knew about the love – that would've changed things. It would've changed his whole reaction. Don't you see that?"

"Ange, please," Brennan pleaded. "I did what you told me to do. But I did it my way. I had to do it my way." She leaned back and caught her friend's eye.

"I wanted to tell him what he deserved to know. But I didn't want to confuse things any more than I had to. I didn't want to put anything more on his plate. I just gave him a lot to think about, and he has a girlfriend to go home to as he thinks about it. Love… that would've been _too much_. He's my friend, Ange. And he needs his chance at love with her. I can tell that he wants a real chance with her. I have already put stress on his situation with the news I just gave him. To add more stress wouldn't have been right." She stared at the floor. "I told him the most important part."

Angela patted her friend's shoulder and looked at her sadly, clearly disagreeing. But it wasn't time for a lecture. It was –

"—Time for tea," Hodgins said, bringing in a steaming cup of herbal tea.

"Perfect timing," Angela said.

"Thanks Hodgins," Brennan said, taking the proffered cup. This was what she needed tonight. She just needed friends. People who looked at her the way Hodgins and Angela were looking at her right now. Like she was a soft person; a warm person. Like she was a good person.

People who still looked at her with light in their eyes.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

"Seeley, you barely talked all night," Hannah observed, switching off the TV. Booth didn't even know what program they were watching anyway. He had suggested they watch TV though – because he could pretend to watch. He needed an excuse to just sit there and not talk. He needed an excuse to think without being obvious.

But now Hannah obviously wanted to talk. What was he supposed to say? Hey – guess what? My partner's pregnant. _With my baby! _Isn't that great? No… you don't think so?

Booth put a hand through his hair. Something was tugging at his insides. He couldn't eat. He didn't feel even a little tired. He just kept rolling the conversation from his office back over and over again in his head.

Bones was pregnant. Four months pregnant. And he, astonishingly, was the father. In a million years, he couldn't have predicted that conversation in his office – or its outcome.

What bothered him so much was the warring ideas about her motives. In the car in the morning, she made it clear how upset she was at thinking he was dead. He could see a real pain in her eyes. She had gone out of her way to express to him that she was so glad that he was alive. That she liked the world better with him in it.

But then she all but admitted that his death was her cue to finally create her dream baby. She practically reiterated verbatim what he said over a year ago on his way into brain surgery. Everything always had to be so logical with her. So rational. She _would_ hear about his death and recall those words and then spring into action.

Even if she was glad he was alive, her motives for getting pregnant floored him. The decision to have a child should be an emotional one. It should be about love. Not about words he once said in a desperate moment—

"Earth to Seeley." He finally looked at Hannah. "What's up?"

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I just got a bit of a shock tonight. And I'm trying to wrap my mind around it."

"Well," she started, getting comfortable next to him, "that's exactly why it's great to have a girlfriend. As part of some girlfriend code, I have to listen to all your problems."

"Oh, well, when you put it that way—"

She slapped his arm playfully and smiled at him softly. "Kidding. Just tell me what's on your mind and maybe I can help."

He sat up a little straighter, putting a couple more inches between the two of them. He felt like Bones must have when she first arrived at his office to tell him everything. He shivered at the memory. He really wished this awful day was over already.

"Okay, well – Bones came to my office tonight with some news."

Hannah's smile didn't falter, but something in her gaze seemed to steel herself for something unpleasant. "What was her news?"

"She's pregnant," he said. There, that wasn't so hard, he thought. Like a Band Aid. Just like he was always telling Parker.

Hannah furrowed her brows together and regarded him for a long moment. "That is surprising. I agree. I mean, you mentioned that she was in Indonesia on a dig, so I'm sure you weren't expecting—"

"—The baby is mine," he said, his voice dropping to a quivering whisper.

Hannah's words died on her tongue at once as her mouth dropped slowly. She was clearly shocked. And clearly at a loss for words.

He owed it to her to explain quickly, to not leave her hanging and wondering. "We've never slept together," he assured her quickly. "But over a year ago, I provided a… sperm sample…" he said uncomfortably. This wasn't exactly the kind of conversation he wanted to be having with his girlfriend. "See, Bones decided she wanted to have a baby. And she wanted my… stuff. For it. For her baby. She trusts me and knows me. She said she wanted it to be mine."

"And… and you agreed?" she asked, staring ahead, clearly still trying to process this. She clearly thought he was going to vent about how everyone's changed in the past seven months or their new case was a tough one.

"She's my best friend," he said softly. Almost to himself, not Hannah. "I wanted to."

Hannah blinked a couple times. Then she looked at him for the first time in a couple minutes. "Did you know she was going to do it now?"

He shook his head. "She's four months along. I just found out tonight." He looked at her. "I had no idea. I mean, I knew it could happen someday."

"She should've told you, Seeley. If you're her best friend – and her partner –"

"She thought I was dead," he explained quickly.

Hannah's eyebrows shot up. "Why would she think that?"

"That explosion near our unit four months ago. Somehow a telegram got sent to her that listed me among the casualties." He clenched a fist and lightly punched the couch arm. That still angered him. What a royal screw up. He needed to know who was responsible for that. Because that small mistake was ruining his life. That small mistake changed the lives of a lot of people.

"Are you sure?" Hannah asked.

At once, Booth turned to her and looked at her closely. "What do you mean?"

Hannah bit her lip, clearly debating whether or not to continue whatever train of thought she was on. "I don't know," she said in a rush. "I don't know her. But I know women – and it sounds manipulative. Are you sure that she really thought you were dead? Maybe she was just trying to explain away… something else—"

"Bones isn't a liar. She's a lot of things – way too literal, not at all in tune with pop culture or even reality half the time, way too rational about _everything_…" He stopped and took a breath. "But she's a very honest person. I know she wasn't lying about any of it."

"Okay. Well I believe you anyway."

For years, Booth ignored the many… _many…_people that assumed Temperance Brennan was a cold, unfeeling woman who lived and breathed facts and science. He broke through her layers and saw the woman underneath who cried and worried, who admitted she loved her friends and even her criminal family. She made mistakes. She laughed whole-heartedly.

Still, despite her good qualities, he hated that she decided to bring a baby into the world based on logic. He had hoped, deep down, that whenever she decided to do it, she'd decide it with her heart instead.

"What are you going to do? You two are partners. She's having your baby. That's very complicated. And you clearly are struggling with how you feel about this."

"I don't know," Booth said quietly. He turned to look at Hannah, really seeing her for the first time tonight. He could tell this news had upset her. Her normally bouncy personality was severely subdued. She looked very lost in thought. "But," he said, touching her knee, "I do want to know how you are about all of this."

She sighed. "I guess I have to be okay." She leaned forward and kissed him for a brief moment. Then she locked eyes with his and smiled. "I am pretty smitten with you."

She stood up and took their two mugs into her hands, walking into the kitchen. With her back to him, she called out, "it's not like love was involved. You two obviously don't feel that way for each other."

Booth stared ahead. He couldn't correct her on that. Not tonight. Maybe someday he'd tell Hannah that at one time he was absolutely in love with his partner. That even now when his head told him to be mad at her, his heart continuously argued in her favor. His head told him that she complicated his life so much by being pregnant now with his baby. And his heart, if he was really honest with himself, felt relieved that the baby was his… and not some other man's.

Hannah walked back into the room. "You've told me a lot about Dr. Brennan. I know how serious and matter-of-fact she is. How everything is like a science experiment for her and even life decisions probably involve pie charts. I think you made that joke once," she said, winking. "So that's what this is."

"A science experiment…" Booth said uneasily.

"I just mean that this sounds a lot like her from what you've told me. It sounds like something she would do. You and me are fine because she did it in her unemotional, matter-of-fact way."

"Right," he said. He still felt uneasy. But he wasn't sure why.

"If this baby came to be because of love," she admitted, kneeling in front of him, "then I think there'd be more for me to think about. You know?"

"Sure," he said. When she finally disappeared to the bedroom, he stared ahead. He took a couple of deep breaths. His head hurt. His eyes hurt. For some reason, he was having trouble breathing.

He understood what Hannah meant. But all the same. Bones was having a baby. This baby would be his, too. And he did love her. Maybe that was once upon a time. But it still changed things. Big time.

Life as he knew it would never be the same.

Hannah was right about one thing. This complicated his partnership with Bones. A lot.

He picked up the phone and dialed a number he knew well. "Sweets," he said, his voice shaking, his eyes filling with tears. "We need to talk. Tomorrow. First thing. I think I need to dissolve my partnership with Bones."


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone, THANK YOU again for the reviews. Honestly, your honest reactions put a huge smile on my face. So thanks again!

-Gret

**Chapter 8**

Dr. Lance Sweets was having a very stressful morning. He spent years fascinated by the interactions between Dr. Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth. He had never cared about two patients this way ever. He wrote a book on these two; they took up that much of his thoughts in his free time.

And now – they were falling apart. He always knew their love would do this. That before they could ever figure out their hearts and find love that they'd suffer. Big time. They'd punish themselves and each other. They'd put up walls. They'd fight their feelings until the bitter end. Until they could not anymore.

He always feared it would happen; always knew it would happen. And now? He was on the verge of a nervous breakdown!

A voicemail from Booth that came in after midnight. That's never a good sign. Booth's voice was abnormal. The normally forceful, authoritative tone was replaced by something incredibly vulnerable. He was saying words that clearly killed him to say.

Over the years, if Sweets even mentioned the idea of breaking up their partnership, it shut the "cocky" agent up instantly. Jokes died on his tongue, he practically visibly paled – and he did whatever it was he was supposed to do. Anything to keep the partnership together.

Until now.

It was 7:25am. Dr. Brennan would be here any second. She was another distraught mess. Realizing she loved her partner when the timing couldn't have been more _wrong. _Getting herself pregnant with his baby when the timing couldn't have been more wrong. Still holding back her feelings from Booth – her real feelings – when she finally told him about the baby… _when the timing couldn't have been more wrong._

Sweets put his head in his hands and groaned. These two were going to be the death of him. He was sure of it!

He was the same as Angela. The very same. Angela called him this morning and gave him a little bit of a scoop. She was just concerned for her friend, not interfering. And he'd never tell Dr. Brennan Angela had called. During their brief conversation he realized that they both really were wanting the same thing.

They both wanted these two to just wake up already. To stop dancing around what everyone else could see clear as day.

"Here I am, Sweets. Right on time," Dr. Brennan said, popping her head in. "Let's keep this quick. I have remains to identify."

She took a seat; the same one as the day before and removed her coat. She looked at him impatiently.

"If you're not going to ask me any questions, I could just go—" she offered, eagerly.

"No, no. Sorry," he said quickly. "Just tired. I didn't sleep well last night."

"I didn't either. I… I slept at Angela and Hodgins'."

"Why didn't you sleep at home?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I didn't feel like it. I did happen to tell Booth everything yesterday, you'll be happy to know."

"You did? That's great. I think that was a step in the right direction."

She shrugged again. "I'm not sure he was too excited about the news actually. I mean, not that I thought he'd be _excited,_" she amended. "I just wasn't expecting such a… cold reaction."

"Why was it cold?"

She closed her eyes slowly and then opened them, a look of resolve painted on her features. "Sweets, you told me that I had to come here every morning during this case to talk to you about the case. Not about me and Booth. So… I should tell you that I am still okay examining the remains of a pregnant woman."

Sweets was silenced for a moment. Maybe it was his time away from her or maybe it was the absence of Booth, but he'd never realized before how abrasive Dr. Brennan could be.

"Don't you look at me like that too," she pleaded, genuine pain creeping into her voice.

"Look at you how?"

"Like I'm cold and heartless. Like I don't care about things. Like… like Booth did." As she finished, tears definitely sprung to her eyes.

"I'm sure that was difficult," he said gently. "Seeing a different… _look_… from Booth."

She nodded. "I felt like he hated me. I didn't like it."

He nodded sympathetically. "I don't think he hates you. In fact, I can promise you that."

She looked confused. "I don't think you can share your personal opinion with me, Sweets, in our sessions. I think you're supposed to ask me questions and then I answer and you pretend that it helps me somehow."

He smiled, ignorning the jibe at his profession. "I was speaking as your friend."

"Sweets, I'm getting very confused. You keep switching from my friend to my psychologist. Without any warning. Who are you now?"

"I… I don't know," he said slowly.

"And this session is supposed to help me? You don't even know who you are right now." Her words were light, but she was getting up and putting her coat back on.

"How about from now on when I switch gears on you, I announce it?" he offered, walking to the door with her.

She thought about that and smiled. "I like that."

"Okay. So as your friend, please call me anytime to talk."

"Thanks. I will."

"And as your psychologist… see you tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes at that and opened the door, revealing Agent Booth standing on the other side of it, ready to knock. When he saw Dr. Brennan, his mouth fell open. They just stood there staring at each other.

It was only 8am. This was going to be a long day.

"Bones, what are you doing here? Did I miss a session?" he asked. 

"Dr. Brennan and I just had a small matter to discuss," Sweets said smoothly.

"Actually, Sweets wants me to meet with him every morning until this case is over," Brennan stated, shrugging like she thought it was all very silly. "Because of the pregnant woman."

Booth blinked a couple of times as he clearly thought about it, about the case. With everything else that had been presented to him, he had clearly forgot about the details of the case. "Oh my god," he muttered. Then he looked up at her. "You can't work this case. It's… no. No. Bones, you're off this case," he said.

She looked insulted. But only for a moment. "Well I would say that you can't either then."

"Really? And why's that?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Because it's about a woman who was pregnant. Expecting a baby. And your partner, whether you want to accept it or not, whether it fits into your life right now or not, whether you planned it or not – is pregnant with your baby."

Sweets smiled. "She's right." He laughed.

They both shot him a murderous look at that.

"What?" he raised his hands in surrender. "I'm just saying that she has a point, Agent Booth."

"I can handle this case," he said, annoyance seeping into his tone.

"Well, I can, too," she said. Then she looked at him confused. "Why are you here so early? And without me?"

"That's none of your business," he said impatiently.

"I told you why I was here," she pointed out.

Booth smiled sadly for a moment; perhaps enjoying the familiar banter, despite how much things had changed for them in the space of a day.

"Yes, you did," he admitted. He looked at Sweets for help.

Sweets said nothing. What could he say?

Dr. Brennan's phone rang, breaking the silence.

"Brennan… yes… okay, great. I'll be right there."

She turned to leave.

"Whoa, Bones – where you off to now?"

She looked at Booth. "It was Angela. She was able to do a reconstruction. We have a face and a name."

"Okay," Booth said, softly. "Look, I'll be over at the Jeffersonian in a half hour, okay?"

Brennan looked from Sweets to Booth a little nervously, before muttering a "sure" and leaving.

Booth turned to Sweets, his hands on his hips. He was not happy.

"What?" Sweets asked, turning to walk back into the office.

"So you know everything," Booth said.

"I do," Sweets said. "And I'm here if you need to talk – as a psychologist or a friend."

"I'll keep that in mind when I finally move past the shock phase," Booth muttered. He sat down in his usual chair.

"It is very shocking," Sweets agreed. "And it'll take time for you to process it all."

"That's just it. How can I process it with us just going on, working, like nothing happened? My partner is carrying my baby. The rules say federal agents aren't to fraternize with consultants or fellow agents, people they work with. They didn't _exactly _mention babies, but I'm pretty sure that it's implied that when your partner is carrying your child, it becomes too complicated to keep going," he said. "You're our psychologist, Sweets. Do you think it's in our best interest to continue like this right now?"

Sweets thought about it. It was complicated. But… he had no idea what could happen if they walked away from each other. Booth was looking to him for help. He was in pain. She was in pain. Even he was in pain, the friend and the witness.

Pulling them apart could make this pain permanent. He was almost certain of it.

If they had distance, on the other hand, maybe they'd go so stir crazy they'd finally admit their feelings.

But… this was Booth and Brennan.

She made a living out of creating walls between herself and the world around her. She pushed love so far away she barely recognized it when it was dangling in front of her.

And Booth had his pride and a big heart. He put it all on the line for the woman he loves – and he got rejected. His love would win over; Sweets was convinced of it because he'd never seen something so true in his life. But… his pride and what he believed to be the truth right now… _that_ could damage their chances beyond repair.

"Agent Booth," Sweets said carefully. "Do you want to break up your partnership?"

Booth put a hand through his hair. "I don't know," he said, staring at the ground. "She's the best partner I've ever had. But… I had feelings for her. That was tough enough. And I got strong again, strong enough to move on. _This _is too much. She's pregnant with my baby."

"It's a lot. I agree."

He sat back in his chair and thought about it. "This is easy to fix," Sweets said, trying… _trying… _not to smirk.

"Great, Sweets! I like the sound of that. What've you got?"

"When you two were away doing your else-worldly duties, the Jeffersonian had a forensic anthropologist and new FBI agent to work the cases that came in."

"Yeah, Cam's new boyfriend," Booth said, keeping up.

"Well, for your case, you need to work with a forensic anthropologist. Dr. Braden is a fantastic guy. Nearly top of his field."

Booth chuckled. "Nearly because Bones protects that title with everything she's got. And she lets everyone know she's the best."

"And Agent Cahill can work with Dr. Brennan on the case he just picked up. I believe it had to do with the remains of a college poetry professor."

Booth sat forward. "Wait, wait, wait. You want to swap the four of us, mix our partnerships all up?"

"I guess you could work alone. But you'd need to drop your current case. You'd need to work a case that doesn't require forensic expertise."

"Why does Bones have to work with Agent Cahill? Can't she just stay in the lab and do her actual, original job?"

Sweets shook his head. "She wants to work."

Booth thought about it and then finally looked at Sweets, shaking his head. "No way. No way is Bones going out into the field with another agent. They don't know her. She runs headfirst into trouble every chance she gets. She has gun envy and bad gut instincts. I know her. I am the best person to keep her safe. If she insists on going out into the field, especially in her condition, she needs extra protection. No way can Agent Cahill do it. No way."

Sweets nodded, looking as serious as he could manage. "So… bad plan?"

"Terrible plan, Sweets."

"Do you still want to talk about possibly dissolving your partnership?"

"No. Not right now. You're right. It's all very new. And I need to process it more. If it gets too complicated, I will let you know."

"Great, well you know I'm—"

"—Great, Sweets, that's all I needed," Booth said, standing up and leaving quickly.

"… here for you."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

"She was a ballerina on her way to Paris to practice. She was only seven weeks along with the baby. She had no idea," Angela said, staring at a photograph, talking to Brennan.

Brennan looked at the beautiful girl and ignored the tug at something inside. A familiar warm feeling that suddenly chilled her to the core. Someone might've killed her because they did have an idea about her baby.

"Thanks, Ange," Brennan muttered, taking the file. "Booth will be here in a little while, and then I'll work with him on the Booth stuff."

"The Booth stuff?" Angela asked, smirking in interest.

"The who, what, where, why, what her life was like, what everyone else in her life was like… you know… the Booth stuff."

Angela nodded. "Ah. Speaking of Booth's stuff," she said, quickly.

"Angela—"

"Okay, okay, sorry. But… will you please take my advice and tell him about the love."

"The love…"

"Yes – the reason you decided to have his baby? Because you thought he died and in total anguish made a heartfelt decision to have his baby, and honor him, keeping him alive in a sense and tied to you forever. The_ love!"_

Brennan smiled embarrassed. She wasn't used to telling people such exact emotional feelings. Normally, she shared the whole truth with Booth. About family. About insecurities. All of it. Now… Angela, Hodgins and Sweets knew the truest, most emotional core of her. It was strange.

And, oddly enough, it felt kind of nice.

Especially since Angela insisted on taunting her today with her inside knowledge.

"I told you, Angela. He is trying to make his relationship work. Logically, I am not sure that confessing that I love him – especially since I'm not sure that he still loves me _at all –_is wise. It could either ruin his relationship or just our friendship in general. And at the very least, this baby deserves to have him in its life. We need to stay in each other's lives at least as friends. It's not the time for love."

"Just do me a favor," Angela said. "Look into his eyes. Search them. See what you find. And then promise me that if you see that old Booth look again in there, that you'll tell him all about it."

Brennan opened her mouth, but Angela stopped her with a knowing look. She groaned. "I promise to think about it. How's that?"

Angela smiled. "For now, that's fine."

"I'm going to call Booth, see where he is," Brennan said. She walked off the platform and headed toward her office when someone stepped in front of her.

It took her one startled moment to place her. Then she knew. "Hannah."

"Dr. Brennan," Hannah said. She looked nervous. "I… I am really sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation just now."

Brennan looked toward the platform and then back at Hannah. "Actually that could have been helped," she pointed out. "You could've walked away, or covered your ears, or just not listened."

Hannah nodded and then looked at Dr. Brennan, her brown eyes teary and pleading. "Um… can I just have one moment of your time?" she asked.

Brennan nodded uncertainly. "We can talk in my office."


	9. Chapter 9

THANK YOU for the reviews again! You all crack me up; there's a lot of Hannah hate in the room. I'm afraid to set some of you alone with the girl ;-) But I am in the same boat! So thank you again for making me smile with your reviews, I appreciate each one!

-Gret

**CHAPTER 9**

"So what do you want to talk about?" Brennan asked, sitting behind her desk.

After shifting uncomfortably for a moment, Hannah took a seat opposite Brennan's side of the desk. A seat that Booth sometimes occupied. Now this blonde bouncy beauty sat there, having the nerve to ask her for a moment to 'talk' but then not saying anything.

"I have a case…" Brennan started.

"I know that your friend was telling you to tell him. And… please. I am begging you. Don't."

Brennan was confused. She was used to feeling confused when people talked about emotions; until recently the most basic human interactions and emotional responses were alien to her. She didn't quite get pop culture either.

"Who and what?" Brennan asked. She figured that covered her confusion pretty thoroughly.

Hannah sighed and put a piece of long curly hair behind an ear. "Seeley was so lost when I met him. He was distant. And kind of sad. You know?"

Brennan looked down at that, her chest muscles constricting.

"When we fell in love, something just changed. He was happy. He was… it was like he was free. And hearing you before, I'm starting to understand. I think he was trapped when he was here. And I think it had to do with you."

Brennan opened her mouth to argue that she never once tried to trap him and in fact encouraged him to go out into the world. Freely.

But Hannah put up a hand to stop her.

"I don't mean literally. I know. Booth told me that you're very literal. What I mean is… he was free from the feelings he obviously had for you. And the last couple months have been great. For both of us. We are so in love. _He _is so in love. And he deserves it. That look on his face – back when he wasn't free – it was awful. He's happy now."

Brennan sighed. "I know that. I've been well aware that he's happy with you since he returned home and told me about you. I assume you know then about—"

"The baby. Yes. And… while that is just the craziest thing… to me anyway… I guess I understand? I don't know. I mean, you wanted a baby, he provided a sample, and I'm realizing that when you thought he died, you came back and while you were here you finally made the baby real. Because you love him, too."

Brennan nodded. "That's very good. That's exactly what happened, yes."

"It's just… he's been unhappy since he first saw you at the reflecting pool. Happy Seeley was just _gone. _Vanished. Then I see a glimmer of him coming back. Then he sees you again and I see the most unhappy man in the world come home to me that night."

Brennan closes her eyes at that briefly before fixing Hannah once more with her most patient look.

"He wasn't happy about the baby. I assume even you could tell that?"

Brennan looked down at her desk, not wanting to admit that she had seen that much for herself, despite her usual lack of awareness of the emotions of others.

"He felt like it was unfair because he's happy now. He told me that."

"He said that?"

"Well, basically that. Based on what he said, I'm here to interpret it because I know you like reason and logic."

Brennan was really paying attention now. She hated constantly deciphering people's words and actions like a puzzle. If Hannah was going to talk in terms of logic, she was all ears.

"Basically," Hannah said. "He wants to be with me and he loves me. He has already shown concern that my learning another woman is pregnant with his baby would upset me enough to leave. I assured him that if he and I can just focus on our love, we'll be fine and get through it. From what I can gather, he wants to work with you. Solve crimes. And then just live your lives. It'll be different for you both than it used to be. But he'll be a lot happier in the long run. If you think about how sad he was when I found him, and how happy he was with me until basically yesterday – logically it makes sense that Booth's happiness lies with him having the chance to focus on our relationship. On making it work. And while he'll always care about you, logic suggests that on a personal level, he's unhappiest when he's around you."

At that, tears sprung to Brennan's eyes, despite herself. She did not need to cry in front of Booth's new girlfriend. This was another side effect of pregnancy that she really was not a fan of.

"Professionally," Hannah added quickly, clearly noticing Brennan's stung feelings, "he loves being around you. If you guys can get back the dynamic you once had, that when he talked about in Afghanistan made his eyes sparkle, that'll just help him be that much happier."

"So you don't think he should know the truth about why I decided to get pregnant? Hannah, I don't intend to break the two of you up. But if knowing of my feelings would at least help Booth understand—"

"—I think – based on logic – that it'll actually just upset him."

Brennan folded her arms across her growing abdomen, sat back in her chair tiredly and sighed. "I appreciate your honesty."

Hannah smiled. "Great, thank you, Dr.—"

"I don't appreciate, however, that you eavesdropped on my conversation before, or that you've told me how to conduct my life when Booth and I… we have a history."

Hannah looked down at that. "And I do respect that history. I admire it, actually. It's a very strong connection."

Brennan regarded the younger girl and eventually nodded, her mind made up. "Well, don't worry about anything now. Booth's barely talking to me. And I'm just worrying about getting back into work and the baby."

"So you won't tell him about your feelings?" she asked, her eyes not shielding the hope.

"If I ever find a logical reason to tell him, I will," Brennan said. She didn't want to ever give Hannah the impression that she was running the show.

"Logic doesn't lie," Hannah added to that, winking. "I'll talk to you. And… take care, Dr. Brennan."

She left the Jeffersonian as abruptly as she arrived. Brennan looked around her office and sighed. She touched her belly and smiled in wonder, for the millionth time it seemed, at how not-alone this baby made her feel.

And right now, she needed to feel like she had somebody.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

As they sat in the living room of their victim's parents' house, interviewing the grieving couple, Booth stole a glance at Bones every chance he got. She was rubbing her stomach quite a bit. At one point, it was so distracting and he thought he detected pain in her expression that, when the mother stood up to get a photo album, Booth leaned towards his partner.

"Bones, you okay?"

Bones looked at him, seemingly shocked he was asking. "I'm fine." She thought about it for a moment and then turned to him. "I'm sorry, was that an opening to ask how you are? Are you okay, too?"

He gave her a half-smirk; something about her willingness to master social etiquette always managed to tug at something inside. "You looked like something might've been wrong. You know," he said, glancing at her belly.

"The baby is fine. I have a doctor's appointment later today, actually. I can find out the baby's sex." She trailed off awkwardly, as if afraid she was sharing too much.

He didn't know what to make of this conversation. While yesterday she had sent his mind reeling, and he was emotionally all over the place, today he was trying to reach normality with her at work, but he couldn't ignore her. He was almost hyperaware of her every movement. He was concerned when she looked too tired. Or when she talked to the parents about the victim's pregnancy. He was nervous when he saw her fidgeting with her stomach during an interview. And just now – he felt a thrill, he couldn't deny it – course through him at the idea of finding out what the baby's sex was.

"Any thoughts on names?" he found himself asking.

She smiled sadly before shaking her head.

"What?" He could tell she was leaving something out.

"I had had a thought about baby names. But… I feel like while this is still so new and weird for us, it's best not to mention it."

"Come on. Tell me. What was your thought about baby names?"

She thought for a moment and then turned, her blue eyes piercing into his gaze. "I wondered if maybe Parker might want to help come up with a name. When I first found out I was pregnant, that was something I thought of. Parker. Getting him involved and excited to be a big brother. Well, a big half-brother."

Booth sat back in his chair, her words sending his thoughts into a fog. She wanted his son to be involved with the naming of their baby?

"It's just that he must hear a lot of nice names. At school. And from what I can tell, pop culture actually doesn't help me much. I researched it. There's actually a baby named Apple out there."

As she talked, Booth thought about Parker. Rebecca had let him name the boy, after a fallen friend and soldier, but that was a struggle. From the moment his son was born, it was a struggle to get Rebecca to allow him to be even half the father he wanted to be to that boy.

"You want me… and Parker… to be involved with your baby?"

Something in Bones's expression shifted suddenly then. "You don't have to be," she said hastily. "I just meant to say that you're a great father. But don't worry about anything, Booth. There's no pressure. Be as involved as you want to be. If you want to be. And I understand if you don't, if you'd rather just focus on your life and… all the great things that are in it right now, the things you're excited about right now—not the things that have stressed you out…"

He was confused by her tangent. She wasn't making much sense. It almost sounded like she was backpedaling on telling him she wanted him to be involved. But she had clearly thought about getting Parker involved. And as for him, she left it to him to decide.

He wanted to be involved. He knew that with certainty. Almost knew it from the moment she told him he was the father, confusing as his thoughts were in that moment.

Now, her motives, while still unsettling for him, were not as important. Because she was handling it all right.

Maybe he could have it all. The love with Hannah. The working relationship and friendship with Bones. Fatherhood. Family.

"Here we go," the mother of the victim said, placing a photograph into their hands. "This was Robert, Elisa's boyfriend. We didn't know him very well. That photo was taken last month at a barbeque."

"And we haven't seen him since her death, haven't been able to get a hold of him," the father added.

"Thank you for this," Booth said, handing the photo to Bones.

"Just please. Find the bastard who killed my daughter and her baby."

Booth gulped. He still felt, like he told Sweets and Bones, that he could handle this case. But it was a tough one to swallow all the same.

"We will," Bones said.


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for ALL the wonderful comments! Sorry for the gaffe in the last installment about Parker's name & Booth's involvement. I've seen Hero in the Hold a couple times and should've recalled that moment! But I blame the late night's! Anyway, I did go back to Chapter 9 and update that spot to be more accurate. I really appreciate the feedback :)

Hope you enjoy the next part.

_-Gret _

**Chapter 10**

Brennan shut down her computer; it had been a long day. She had made a little progress with analyzing Elisa's remains. She and the team had found signs of strangulation but blood pooling had shown it was not the cause of death. They had yet to find that.

She really wanted to stick around, have dinner at the lab and find out who killed this young woman. She had only been 23. She'd barely lived at all. Seeing her parents' today – Brennan couldn't help it but she did the one thing she was usually able to not do so well. She sympathized with them to the point of distraction. These people had a daughter and she grew up to be 23. Surely they wanted so much for her. She was going to have a baby of her own. She couldn't even imagine their pain. She didn't even know her own baby yet, Brennan thought, touching her stomach again. But she already knew that if something like that _ever _happened to her child, she'd probably want to die.

She also just wanted to solve crimes. Her time away from crime-solving established a couple things. She realized in a moment of agonizing clarity that she loved Seeley Booth. She realized she missed her friends, her family, back home and needed to be with them. She realized that solving crimes, putting bad guys behind bars – it wasn't just Booth's thing. It was hers. It had been for a long time.

She'd always be an anthropologist and be passionate about finding the truth about human evolution.

But she was also someone who changed lives by working with the FBI. And made the world, one criminal at a time, a better place. She _needed _the will power to stay awake, to pull an all-nighter at the lab.

She needed to find Elisa's killer; she needed this case to be solved and put behind her so badly she could feel it almost crawling under her skin, making her crazy.

But… she couldn't. Things changed. It was only the very early evening and she needed to head to the hospital for her appointment. And she was so tired, she knew that afterward she'd be heading home, making dinner and calling it an early night. She was tired from the pregnancy, she knew – but it was more than that.

She was tired of pushing her feelings for Booth back down. They had been repressed for so many years and then she'd finally, happily freed them. Now, for his sake, she had to repress them again. Only this time, she actually had to consciously do it. It took effort. And it was tiring. She was tired from her conversation with Hannah, from the very idea that Booth was unhappy with her – and with their baby. Like Hannah had said. And she was tired of trying so hard to do what was right for her baby and for Booth – and for everyone else – only to have it slapped back in her face.

Hannah had all but done that. Her words were equivalent to a physical strike. Brennan knew that her partner needed time. She knew, of course, that once he laid eyes on his new baby that he'd be the best father in the world… but it still hurt to hear just _how _mad he was about it. He'd been apparently scared of losing Hannah, upset about the baby, and wanting nothing to do with her other than to have a good working relationship. It felt like he hated her. Because Hannah's words coupled with Booth's look when she told him the truth – it made her shiver.

But then at Elisa's parent's house today, he had seemed more laid back. A little bit more like the man she enjoyed spending all her time with. There was something so comfortably familiar when they were there, talking about the baby, interviewing the grieving couple.

She shrugged, supposing it was just the comfort of their partnership. Just… work. He wanted a good working relationship with her. And maybe that's all that was.

She hated change. But… it was part of life.

With a reserved sigh, she walked out of the Jeffersonian to find out how her baby was – and what sex the baby would be. Little butterflies flitted inside at that thought; she really was excited about that.

Change – while hard – at least could lead to good things. And that gave her hope.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Booth's stomach was in knots. He couldn't decide what to do. Hannah had called him three times wondering where he was. She had made dinner. And she wanted to talk.

With everything that had transpired in the past two days, he needed to be with his girlfriend, to _try _to get their footing back; capture some of the magic they'd experienced falling in love in Afghanistan.

And his partner was on his way now, most likely, to the hospital to learn the sex of his baby.

He should be able to just do it all. It's the dream, right? Fatherhood, love, friendship, good career…

Hannah buzzed through again. This time he answered.

"You okay? Seel, you sound a little… stressed."

"How can I sound stressed?" Booth asked. "All I said was 'hi'."

"Well, it was a very distressed 'hi'," Hannah said. He could almost hear her smiling on the other end. She loved to tease him, to joke around. She seemed to enjoy getting under his skin – in a good way. They needed a night together. And it would be getting late soon.

"Hello," Booth said, in a less-stressed tone.

"Ah, there's my guy," Hannah said. "Well, I've abandoned the plans to cook and I ordered in from your favorite bodega – the one you mentioned to me in Afghanistan when we ate at that awful little place in town. Remember, the one with the—"

"—yellow elephant on the wall. I remember," he said, smiling at the memory. His heart swelled, yearning for the simplicity his life had taken on when he'd left DC. He was so excited to be back, with his friends – his family – doing what he really loved.

But a world away from the matters of his heart, from his own unresolved problems – life was a little simpler. It was lighter. He was free to explore new paths. To discover new people. And to hope for a new outcome… with someone else.

Hannah had stormed into his life with a big attitude and a sharp tongue. She was passionate and fierce about everything in her life – including him. And he kind of loved that about her. She wore her feelings on her sleeve and he had found that so refreshing. When she met him, she was open to the possibility of… well, something.

And that was just more than he could say for another woman in his life; a woman who occupied more of his thoughts than he wanted.

Before long, he grabbed on too and just let her take him on a ride; and it was a good ride. It was their time for love and now she was here. And his partner was having his baby because of a miscommunication basically – and her own literal thought process. And this fiery girlfriend he now had hadn't gone running for the hills.

She stayed.

"I'm on my way," he said.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan wiped the tears that had escaped and looked at the doctor apologetically. "I apologize Dr. Ying. I'm not normally very emotional."

The doctor, a pretty woman in her forties, smiled kindly, and placed her hands in the pockets of her white coat. "It's perfectly normal. This is an exciting day."

"I knew I'd be excited whether it was a boy or a girl – so I don't know why I'm even reacting. Logically, there was a fifty fifty chance either way. It's not like the outcome surprised me. It was one of the possibilities I ran through in my mind. So—"

The doctor learned forward and whispered almost conspiratorially, "there's no logic in emotional responses, especially when a baby is involved." She winked, and excused herself.

Brennan gathered her things and dressed, heading out of the hospital, her mind wandering. In the past four months, Brennan had realized the doctor's words were truer than ever. Ever since her heart had made itself heard loud and clear, logic had seemed to run off and hide somewhere inside her. She suddenly had emotional instincts and she was relieved.

When she had told Booth, years ago, that she did want a baby, she secretly feared that the emotional chip she seemed to be missing would affect how good of a mother she could be.

She knew financially the child would be very lucky, as well as genetically. The child could be both attractive and intelligent. But she needed the child to be loved and cared for, and if the child needed emotional warmth, she feared she wouldn't be able to deliver that properly.

She had no fear about that now. And that, at least was a relief.

As she neared her car, she noticed a movement and looked up to see Booth get out of his own car, which was parked next to hers.

"Booth – what… did you find something out? About Elisa?"

Booth's face was fixed in a frown as he stepped closer to her. "No. It's not that."

He studied her as he got closer and his frown eventually became a concerned expression. "You look like you were crying," he pointed out.

Brennan just nodded. "It's apparently a side effect."

Booth let out a low breath and met her eyes. "So the baby's okay?"

"Yes," Brennan said, furrowing her eyebrows together, growing confused.

Booth put a hand through his hair and looked at her, a look of total frustration. "I am so confused," he said.

"You seem confused," she observed.

"I was on my way home because I should be going home. To Hannah. She's the one who wants to be with me, you know? And she stayed."

"Stayed?" Brennan was struggling to understand. But this didn't sound like it was going to be a good conversation, so she steeled herself. She really didn't want to cry again. Not in front of him. Not now.

"Forget it," Booth said. "But I should've been going there. But… I had to come here. I had to be here and know what was happening," he said in almost a whisper.

"I appreciate you coming, Booth. You didn't have to—"

"I know I didn't have to. I… _wanted _to. And I think that might be worse. This baby wasn't exactly conceived in a whirlwind of love. When you first mentioned the proposition to me, years ago, it sounded like a business negotiation," he said.

She nodded. Because that was true. Back then.

"I don't need to be here for all the little steps along the way. I know I don't. I know you don't care one way or the other. But… I am here, aren't I? It was like my car was pulled to this hospital like a magnet."

"That's actually impossible— oh, you mean metaphorically."

He smiled at that. "Yes. I found myself here. But I do have to run because I am so late for a date. And she stayed."

Brennan did not understand why he kept saying Hannah stayed. Where did she stay and when? She really wished that people could take the time to properly express their actual thoughts. It was unfair for her to always decipher what people were _really _talking about! And she was just so tired.

She huffed, her eyes filling with tears of frustration at this whole thing.

"Bones – what's wrong?"

"I'm really tired," she said honestly. "I just want to go home."

He nodded. "I came here for a reason," he said slowly. "I wanted to join you in there, so you wouldn't be alone. But… I had no idea where you were. And I got here kind of late anyway. But, I can't lie, Bones… I am dying to know."

"Know what?"

"What are we having?"

At that thought, the frustration slowly left her body; she swore her baby had healing powers.

"A girl," she answered with a smile.

And her heart truly swelled when she saw Booth smile, too.


	11. Chapter 11

THANK YOU again for your support on this story! It's these amazing reviews that keep me updating. Hope you enjoy this installment!

-Gret

**Chapter 11**

Temperance Brennan was finally home – after two of the longest days of her life. She closed the door, thinking that it somehow felt heavier than she remembered. Was that even possible? Everything felt heavier. She was just so tired.

She flicked the light on and walked to the couch and fell back heavily into the comfortable cushions.

"Hi, honey."

She jumped and turned to see her father walking toward her from the kitchen, holding his hands up in a Friend, Not Foe peace gesture.

"Dad, I told you never to sneak in here again. Just call and knock like a normal father."

He smiled apologetically. "I tried that. But your cell phone was off and you weren't home. I got hungry."

She rolled her eyes and relaxed her body once again into the cushions. "Well, I suppose it's good you're here anyway. I have some news."

"Your, uh, brother mentioned that you had some big news. But he wouldn't tell me what it is. And I've never been good with patience."

Brennan laughed at that. "That's funny, dad. You left me only to reappear in my life nearly fifteen years later. I'm not sure you're in a position ever to talk to me about patience."

He sat down beside her, his eye twinkling the way it did when he was with her. Like no matter what she said, he was proud or something. She kind of liked the twinkle.

"What's the news, Tempe? Are you and Booth finally together?"

"No," she said matter-of-factly, "but we are having a baby together."

Max's eye brows shot up at that – and for what must have been the first time in his life, Brennan mused, he seemed speechless.

"So you are together!" he said after a moment.

"I just said that we aren't."

"You're having his baby. He knows, doesn't he?"

"Yes."

"So why exactly aren't you two together?" Max questioned.

"Well, for starters, he's in a relationship—"

"—I'll kill him."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "Dad, if you're going to be a good grandfather, your instinct for dealing with people who annoy you has to stop being to murder them."

Max smiled at his daughter, clearly ignoring her jibe. "You're having a baby," he said with a look of nostalgia passing over his features. "My baby is having a baby."

"A girl," Brennan clarified with a smile. "You'll have a granddaughter in approximately five months. Unless she comes early."

Max was positively glowing; Brennan was happy to see her father's reaction to her news. When she had told Booth the news, he had been floored of course. He had only had a look of total concern, shock and at one point, annoyance.

He had finally smiled though – when she told him about his future baby's sex. He had looked positively giddy. And it had truly made Brennan's day. The past two days had been filled with the awful feeling that they were going to be divided forever; with a permanent wedge between them and what they used to share. To see his smile gave her hope that in the end, the baby would bring them together – even if only as friends and parents.

"So what happened with Booth?" Max asked, noticing the far off look on her face.

"I'm pretty tired. So I will give you the very short version so that I can go to bed, if that's okay."

"That's fine with me."

"When I was in Indonesia, I received a note that said Booth died in Afghanistan. I realized I love him. I returned to DC and I impregnated myself with the sperm sample he made for me a couple years ago. I came home a couple days ago for good – as did he. I was pregnant and ready to tell him I love him. He was with Hannah."

Max's eyes were wide. "That story has a lot of holes that give me a lot of questions."

Brennan smiled. "And I'll answer any of them another time."

"Hannah, huh?" He grimaced saying her name.

"Yes."

"It's plain. Not a strong name like Temperance."

"Well, my birth name was Joy," Brennan pointed out.

"Because you made me and your mom so happy."

His eyes were twinkling again.

"Stay as long as you'd like and eat my food. I'm going to bed."

"I'd like to stay with you for awhile," he said suddenly.

She turned, confused. "Like… live here?"

"Just temporarily. I can tell just looking at you that you're having a hard time right now."

"I'm okay."

"I'd like to stay with you. Be a father."

She smiled, suddenly appreciative that her father was there for her right now. Right now when she mostly felt alone, except when she thought about her baby. Right now, she was scared and sad, happy and emotional – and about a thounsand other things depending on the moment.

"Okay," she agreed. "I'd like that."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Booth walked in his front door, still smiling ear to ear. He couldn't help it. He was having a baby girl! Parker would have a little sister! And he'd get to help name her, if Bones still liked that idea.

He somehow felt like he was cheating on Hannah, smiling like this after being with another woman – the mother of his unborn child specifically. That had layers upon layers of unwanted complication; he knew that.

But he could not help it. When he left the FBI building, he started heading home. But then he'd pictured Bones sitting at the hospital.

Alone.

He knew she had done this to herself. She had willingly entered into single motherhood. She had been obviously prepared to do so much of all of this alone. All the same; he hated picturing her alone in that sterile hospital room. Finding out exciting news and having no one to share it with.

He was the baby's father. No matter how this all came about, he knew, somewhere deep down, he needed to be the person she shared it with. And he couldn't wait until tomorrow.

And he was thrilled, he could now admit, to find out. He wanted to know.

As a result, he was late for his date. And Hannah had gone through all the trouble of ordering take out from his favorite place. She had remembered his story that well.

"You look happy," Hannah said, greeting him at the door with a kiss. "I hope that smile is for me. You're late!"

His smile faded a little. "I know. Hannah, I'm sorry."

"Did you get a break in the case?" she asked.

"Not exactly."

He walked into the kitchen and smiled at the spread before him. "This looks delicious. Thank you." He sat down and began eating, as he continued talking.

"Bones mentioned she was going to the hospital to find out the baby's sex," he explained, taking a bite of bread.

Hannah's smile wavered, but stayed firmly planted. "Oh – that was nice of her."

He nodded uncertainly. "Well, anyway, I had to go. I had to find out. The not knowing was killing me. I couldn't wait until tomorrow. I mean – this is my baby."

Hannah nodded. "Yes, it is."

Booth noticed that Hannah seemed a little distracted. "You okay?" he asked quickly. He put his silverware down and took her hand. "I'm with you. This is just… something I had to do."

She nodded. "Sure. I'm absolutely okay with it. I mean – you're right. This is your baby."

"Baby girl," he clarified, smiling and taking another bite of bread, happy to have moved past the awkward moment.

"A girl – that's great. Now you'll have both."

He nodded. He wouldn't tell Hannah this much, but he really hoped his baby girl had Bones's eyes. A little girl looking up at him with those eyes; well, he would grant her anything in the world. Forever.

"Let me ask you," Hannah said casually, "if you didn't know about the hospital visit, would it have bothered you?"

He thought about it for a moment. "I guess not. I mean, if I didn't know about it, I wouldn't know what I was missing."

Hannah nodded.

"Thanks for ordering this. It really hits the spot."

Hannah leaned forward and kissed him. "Anything for you."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

_Dear Dr. Temperance Brennan,_

_Cease your investigation of Elisa Roberts' death immediately. This is not a threat, it's a promise that if you don't leave this case alone, you'll be sorry._

_-A very annoyed killer_


	12. Chapter 12

_THANK YOU! I love this community because so many of the reviews are actually funny and make me either laugh or smile – or just feel bad in the case of those reviews that are pleading with me to do something less angsty with the story. I can see Hannah's not a fan fave –and to that I say—enjoy the next part! Hope you do like it- and thanks again for the awesome reviews and support!_

_-Gret _

**Chapter 12**

Temperance Brennan walked into her office a little past nine. Her meeting with Sweets – to assure him once again that the case was still fine with her and that she and Booth seemed to be making healthy progress on the personal front – went a little longer than expected.

Since she couldn't stay late last night and was late this morning, she felt guilty. She hated not being able to give all of herself to a case. She just was not used to giving only eighty percent. And that's what Elisa's case felt like to her.

This young pregnant dancer was murdered – and Brennan felt like she was off at happy doctor's appointments, friends' houses, breakfasting with her father and seeing a shrink instead of finding the jerk that was responsible.

Well, it was a fresh day, and she fully intended to throw herself in. Elisa deserved it.

She heard a knock on her door and looked up seeing Angela walk in casually, fixing her with a knowing grin.

"Hi, Ange," she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Should you be drinking that?" Angela questioned.

"It's decaf," Brennan explained. "And besides, I am allowed to have a little bit of caffeine. And honestly, I need it. I really need to focus on the case today. I feel like I haven't made any progress in two days. Usually by now, we'd be a lot further along."

"Usually," she pointed out, taking a seat, "we'd all be able to concentrate fully on our cases." She smiled at her friend. "We just got back and things are… very different. For _all _of us. I think we're allowed to ease back in a bit."

"Elisa's killer could be easing out of the country if we don't work a little faster."

"Sweetie, we're not that slow. We've identified our victim and we have a decent theory on who the killer is."

"Has Wendell found the cause of death? Or Cam?" Brennan questioned, looking down feeling slight guilt at not being by the body herself seeking out the cause of death.

"They said they wanted to see you, actually," Angela said. "I think they do have something."

After Angela left, Brennan stood up and gathered her case notes and files, preparing to walk to the lab platform to where Elisa's body lay. She noticed a tiny piece of paper fall out of her file and picked it up, took it out of the envelope.

_Dear Dr. Temperance Brennan,_

_Cease your investigation of Elisa Roberts' death immediately. This is not a threat, it's a promise that if you don't leave this case alone, you'll be sorry._

_-A very annoyed killer_

She held the note tightly in her fingers, ignoring the small shiver that coursed through her body. The old, pre-pregnant Dr. Temperance Brennan would've rolled her eyes and dismissed such a note with total confidence, and proceeded to work on her case.

Her feet now felt planted to the floor; her face felt pale. She did not like feeling so unlike herself – so… cowardly and vulnerable. Killers were always trying to stop her from doing her job. Of course; she worked on putting them away. Cops received threatening letters too. And agents like Booth. She was not the only crime-fighter receiving letters like this one.

She knew that the killer was most likely very clumsy to have contacted her at all. She just had to rationalize the way she used to. This letter was just… more evidence in the case. Logically, this letter could help them track the killer down.

She smiled, quite pleased at having a new break in the case and made her way up to the platform to see what the rest of the team had found.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B

"It's strange," Cam remarked, bending over the body as Wendell pulled x-rays up on the screen ahead. "It's difficult to isolate the cause of death because… there seem to be three different causes."

"There can only be one actual cause of death," Brennan pointed out to Cam. "The cause that… finally killed her."

Cam smiled patiently. "Thank you for clarifying that, Dr. Brennan," she said. "What I mean is – this girl was strangled," she explained showing the damage to reflect that first. "She was also starved and dehydrated for days. And," she finished, looking up at Brennan, "she was hit with a large blunt object. That explains the blood pooling."

"She was tortured," Brennan stated, looking blankly ahead, her mind going through the horrendous, long death this girl's killer enacted on her.

"It all seems to have happened in the same time span," Wendell added. "So it's hard to say if one of these was the final _blow. _But they all contributed to Elisa Robert's murder."

Brennan met each gaze and nodded. "Good work. See if you can identify the blunt object the murderer struck her with. I'll go tell Booth what we've got so far."

First, she decided to make a stop in to see Special Agent Marcus Weil – the guy Booth always asked to help him with profiling. He could look at the letter she received, find patterns, compare it to other cases, do handwriting analysis. He could help with this latest piece of evidence.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Booth left the former residence of Robert Kensington, the very wealthy ex-boyfriend of Elisa Roberts. He hadn't learned much, but it had been enough. Robert has been obsessed with the young ballerina. His bedroom shrine to her was enough to make that crystal clear. He had a strained relationship with his parents. Financially he depended on them. But according to Robert's roommate, Matt, he was always trying to please them.

Matt explained that Rob took the breakup very hard and… "seemed a little bit darker" recently. He hadn't seen his roommate in two weeks – basically, since Elisa's murder.

As Booth neared the door to his office, he stopped in his tracks. He spotted Bones standing in there, looking around casually, waiting for him. She stopped and picked up that same picture of him and Parker, the one she had been looking at fondly before she had broken the news to him about her own pregnancy.

He looked at her slight baby bump for a moment, saw her touch it gently, rub it almost as if for comfort. She placed the photograph back in its spot and resumed walked around the office.

"Hey, Bones," Booth said, walking in, smiling at his partner. Something clenched inside as he realized that she really did look like she was glowing. Even now; she wasn't smiling… but she seemed so naturally warm and content. Finally.

He was happy about that. Pregnancy was being good to her. It seemed motherhood in general might be great for her. Somewhere deep down, he'd always known that it would.

"Oh, good, there you are," she said, turning. "We found cause of death."

"Great," he said, taking off his coat and taking a seat.

"Actually, three causes," she clarified, sitting now herself.

"Three?"

"She was tortured," she said matter-of-factly, like this didn't matter to her. But he could see that it did. "Strangled, starved and struck. With a blunt object."

Booth grunted. "The three S's," he said with a lightness he didn't feel. "I wonder if he knew she was pregnant," he said, stealing a look at his partner to see if she was okay with his current line of thinking.

"It could be a motive for murdering her, I suppose," Bones said.

"Supposing it's the ex-boyfriend."

"Yes." She sighed, looking conflicted, but barreled forward. "If a man didn't want her to have their baby because he wasn't ready, but she decided to keep it, maybe he… freaked out. Maybe he wanted her out of his life. Maybe he had something else going on and he didn't want to… deal with her anymore."

Booth met her eyes and grew very serious. He knew Bones was talking about the case. But… still, he needed her to know absolutely how he felt about… about _their _situation. "That's not us, Bones," he said quietly.

"Of course it's not us, Booth. It's Elisa Roberts and her ex-boyfriend, who potentially murdered her. Potentially being the key word."

"What I mean is… I was shocked by your news. But, even if I wasn't ready for it when you told me about our baby, I'd never freak out, cut you out of my life, even think about turning my back. On either of you. No matter what's going on in my life, I would never leave either of you alone in this."

Bones smiled at him softly, her eyes bright. "I know. You're a good, strong man, Booth." She bowed her head slightly and regarded him closely. "And you know that's why I asked you in the first place."

Booth smiled right back at her. "Did, uh… did you still want Parker to help think of her name?"

He didn't want to push… or admit that he was thrilled to tell his son about his future baby sister and that Bones wanted _his _ideas for names. But… she had brought it up and he couldn't deny it was on his mind. He was seeing his son in a couple of hours for dinner and really wanted to tell him.

"If that's okay with you, I'd love him to help me. I've been doing some research lately and from what I can tell, people are naming babies right now after vampires and humans who love vampires. 

Booth's smile widened. "Vampires, huh?"

"Yes. Apparently they are very popular right now."

"Apparently," he agreed. "Okay, I'll tell Parker tonight. Everything."

Bones seemed relieved at his happiness. And that did make him happy.

"My father's staying with me right now," Bones said after a moment.

"Really," Booth said, sitting back.

"He just wants to be here for me right now… with all the changes recently."

"I'll bet he was happy about the news," Booth said.

"He did seem to showcase an increase in endorphins once he heard about the baby, yes," Bones said. "Though he said that he wanted to kill you."

"Kill me? What did I do?"

"I'm pregnant with your child and you are in another relationship. Just based on those facts, you clearly are reminding him of the type of boy he used to warn me about."

"You impregnated yourself!"

"These are just the facts, Booth."

Something suddenly occurred to Booth. "The father."

"My father?"

"No. Robert's father. His roommate said that Robert had a strained relationship with his parents, but financially they controlled his life. Who knows how they felt that he fell in love with a poor girl who was trying to make a living dancing?"

"—and then got pregnant," Bones added.

"We have to find Robert and his parents. My gut tells me that our killer is on that short list."

"Based on my dad's comment, I'd keep Elisa's dad on the short list, too. Maybe he meant to strike Robert with that blunt object."

Booth looked at his partner, at that, with a contemptuous smirk. But then he filed that idea away. Because one thing he knew about dealing with murder for so long was that you just never knew.

Booth's phone buzzed. "Booth." It was Special Agent Marcus Weil; he said he had something for Booth. "Be right there."

He hung up and looked at his partner. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes and then you and I can head out to talk to Robert's family."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan sat, waiting for Booth to return, and was happy to know that he really liked her idea of getting Parker involved. She had told Hannah that she would talk to him mostly about work – but she was taking his lead. She kept it to work as much as possible. But he sometimes seemed to want to talk about their situation.

And… that was what they did! It's what they always did. They talked things out. Any time they had ever had an issue with each other, or in their own lives, with a case – they talked about it. She was glad to know that part of their friendship hadn't just vanished with the latest news headline, just because the news was unexpected.

She was happy to know that their friendship meant more than that.

"Hi, Dr. Brennan."

Brennan jumped, seeing none other than Hannah walk into the room and sit down.

"Hi, Hannah. How are you?" she asked politely, hoping that this was not another conversation about what her relationship with Booth should be like.

"I'm pretty good. I hear you're having a girl," she enthused.

Brennan nodded. "That's right."

"I'm really sorry, but… can we have another woman to woman talk? I just… all of this is so complicated and I really want to be sure at least _we're_ on the same page. We obviously have this person in common – Seeley – and I know we both want what's best for him."

"I don't understand. What is best for him?"

"I just think that the less he was involved with this baby… _right now… _the better off we'll be. You know how I mentioned to you that he wasn't happy about the baby – and his biggest concern was losing me?"

"I remember."

"Well, last night was bad. It was exactly what I mean. He was coming home to be with me. And he ended up going to your appointment."

"I didn't tell him that he had to."

"I know! I know, Dr. Brennan. But you know him. He'll always do and say the right thing. The noble thing. He's Special Agent Seeley Booth – the last gentleman in the world it seems."

"Actually, there are many men in the world. Half the population to be exact."

"You know what I mean. He's a gentleman. A chivalrous, sincere, and genuinely sweet guy. He's not putting himself first. If he were, he'd be focusing on the relationship that made him so happy before. The relationship that saved him from looking so down when I first met him. He was down then, it seems, because of you. And now he's all turned upside down again. Because of you. I just want him to have a chance at happiness."

Brennan sighed. "I am trying to give him that, too," she said emphatically. "I really am. I… I don't know what to do here. I'm following his lead. I am not trying to get in the way here, but—"

Hannah sighed and looked down, "but you're in the way all the same." The words were mean, but her tone wasn't. She looked genuinely sad, genuinely… _stuck._

"Bones."

Both women jumped and looked up as an angry Seeley Booth stormed into his office. "Bones, out. Now."

It was Hannah who spoke. "What?"

"I need to talk to you _right now,_" he said. He looked furious.

"Booth—"

"Bones, please," he said. She could see his patience was falling away.

"Okay. I'll meet you at the lab."

In a state of total confusion she walked out of Booth's office. The moment she was out, he closed the door behind her and turned toward Hannah.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Seeing her leave the FBI building, he followed closely behind Dr. Temperance Brennan – glad to see she was all alone.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&


	13. Chapter 13

_Hi everyone! THANK YOU once again for the overwhelming support for my story. It ends up being the main motivator for more writing, so I hope you all know how much I appreciate it! I hope you enjoy the next installment! Happy reading,_

_-Gret_

**Chapter 13**

Booth's mind was buzzing so loud, he could barely hear the sound of his own breathing.

"Seeley, what's wrong?" Hannah asked. He could see she was timid. She was afraid of what he'd heard.

And she had every reason to be.

He'd been halfway to Agent Weil's office when he realized that he'd forgotten his case files in his office. The words "another woman to woman" talk had stopped Booth in his tracks; he'd recognized his girlfriend's voice of course.

He'd been confused – what was Hannah talking about, _another _woman to woman talk? Had she ever talked to Bones before after he'd introduced them at the reflecting pool?

He quickly brushed away his confusion and made up his mind to make his presence known to the women, since it was a private talk. But then Hannah said the words that floored him, nearly knocked the breath right out of him.

"_I just think that the less he was involved with this baby… right now… the better off we'll be. You know how I mentioned to you that he wasn't happy about the baby – and his biggest concern was losing me?" _

His voice had caught in his throat; his feet felt planted to the floor. Hannah had told Bones that he wasn't happy about the baby? She had told Bones not to involve him?

He heard Hannah then say he only went to the appointment because of chivalry. He heard Bones say something very Bones-like about the population of men in the world. Bones sounded upset explaining that she wanted him to be happy, that she was trying to do what was right and take his lead.

And Hannah told her that she was in their way.

And that was it. He found his voice. His feet propelled forward – and he was finally able to go in there. The anger surprised him. He was seething. He needed Bones to not be there right now. He knew kicking her out might hurt her feelings, but he really didn't care right now.

Right now, he needed to know—

"You went and talked to my partner?"

Hannah looked at the floor, but he saw tears rush to her brown eyes.

"When?"

When she didn't say anything, his anger only intensified. "When! When did you have a 'woman to woman' talk about what's best for me?"

"Yesterday morning," she admitted quietly.

"So you went to the lab behind my back and told my partner, my friend – you _actually_ told her that I wasn't happy about this baby? You… you told her to leave me out of it so you and I could be happy? And you made her think it was what I wanted?"

She finally looked back up at him, her gaze pleading. "It wasn't like that. Seeley, the only time I've ever seen you happy, really happy, is when we were together, just us… falling in love. We get back here, and you've just been so miserable, since the moment you saw her at the reflecting pool! When you heard about the baby… you seemed beyond miserable! And I know she wants you to be happy. I thought if she could just… _ease up_ on the baby stuff, give you a chance to focus on us again…"

"You had no right! I've already had a baby that I was told to basically back off of. It broke my heart when Rebecca wouldn't let me be the dad I was dying to be with Parker. You _know_ that. I told you that!"

"I didn't want you to be _uninvolved_ with the baby – just… the weird stuff happening _right now_! When you and I should be focusing on us, she comes to you with this news! It's so unfair," Hannah said, wiping a tear. "I find this great guy and instead of having a chance, this woman from his past appears with _the _most complicated wedge to put between us."

"First of all, she's from my present, Hannah. She's my partner. And… this was not part of some plan to come between us. She thought I was dead and she decided to have my baby. This was something she and I discussed a long time ago, long before I knew you. Yes, it's more complicated now because I am not dead and in a relationship. But… she's never tried to come between us. Instead of holding back the truth, she came to me. She told me. And she made it clear that she didn't expect anything from me. She immediately showed concern for you and me – and encouraged me to discuss everything with you, so that you and I could continue doing what made me happy. She wanted me to be happy."

He paced around the room, trying to get rid of the excess energy that felt like it was boiling over in him. "I trusted you. With all of it. With the truth, with my friends. I trusted you with my life and you tried to push my best friend away because she changed your plans a bit."

"Seeley, you're acting like you've been so honest with me," she challenged, a fire lighting in her eyes that he recognized. The challenger in her, the woman who stopped at nothing to get to the truth, was standing before him now.

"What are you talking about?"

"You neglected to tell me that once upon a time you were in love with her. How do you think I felt when I heard that?" she asked, her voice shaking.

That stopped him. He was momentarily at a loss for words. Did Bones tell her that? Were both women trying to stab him in the back by hurting each other with knowledge and facts that gave them power over each other?

"So it's true," Hannah said, laughing quietly and shaking her head. She put a piece of hair behind her ear. "You know, Seeley, I think I could deal with a partner and friend having your baby. I mean, it's strange, but the way you described it made sense. She asked you to donate your sperm and you did. Years ago. She used it. Simple. I could deal with it if that's all it was. Knowing it's a woman you were in love with – that's a harder pill to swallow."

Now it was his turn to look at the floor. He had never told Hannah about his feelings for Bones. From the moment he met Hannah, he'd felt as if she had freed him from the dark recesses of his mind that were lonely and sad for the love he professed to his partner that was unreturned. This woman had been open to his love and loving in return. He had assumed his feelings for Bones had finally started to go away, so he'd never mentioned them. He'd let that pain abate while he focused on new love.

But the feelings hadn't disappeared. That much was clear when he returned home to DC. And from the moment he saw his partner to the present moment, his feelings had just grown more confusing; their situation more complicated. He was relieved to be the father of Bones's baby. He wouldn't want any other man claiming that title. And something tugged on his heartstrings every time he even thought about her. But even now, he didn't fully understand _why._ So how was he ever supposed to explain such confusing feelings to his girlfriend?

He couldn't.

But right now, she _was_ right. He'd kept it all in the dark.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, his voice a mere whisper. "My heart was a mess last year. Meeting you was so amazing," he explained, his own eyes shining now. "Coming home was confusing. And maybe my confusion wasn't fair to you. But I wanted to see where _we_ could go. I wanted to put my energy into that and you knew that; I told you that. The baby has made it all much more confusing for all of us. But it didn't change my priorities."

Hannah took a step toward him and took one of his hands in her own and placed a kiss on the palm. "It's okay, Seeley," she soothed.

"Actually, it's not," he said back, quietly.

She looked at him confused.

"I know that I wasn't completely honest with you, Hannah," he said, taking a deep breath. "But I was trying to understand everything myself. And I was trying to work through the confusion _with _you. Even if you didn't know everything, I did make it clear what I wanted. You actually told my friend, and the woman who's having my baby, that she was in our way. You basically told her to leave me alone." He sighed sadly, more calm now. "You had no right."

"So, what are you saying? That you can't understand where I was coming from? I felt threatened by her because you used to love her and I took action."

"If you found out that I used to love her, it was because you were already there. At the lab. You were going to talk to her regardless. You were already ready to tell her to back off," he said. He wasn't an idiot; he knew how it most likely went down. "You just felt justified once you learned that."

Hannah bowed her head and released a long, quivering breath. "So I messed up. So I should've just trusted _us _and not gone and talked to her—"

"—twice. You talked to her twice about the baby."

"Can I apologize and you and me can just go back to working on our relationship? Enjoying each other like we were before all of this?"

He untangled his fingers from hers and moved his hand to his side. "I can't forget, Hannah. I'm not sure I can trust you. I never told you that I was unhappy about the baby – but you told her that. You've made her think that I am unhappy about… about something that's wonderful. No matter how this all came to be, this baby is a wonderful thing."

"—You didn't seem happy."

"I was shocked. Floored. It was so far from anything I could've imagined her telling me. But somewhere just underneath all those feelings was just… happiness. I love this baby already. It's mine. And I love it. And to think that you tried to make her stop involving me, to make her think I didn't want this baby, didn't love it already… I can't forget that. Ever."

"So, what, this is it?"

He bowed his head and looked down. After a thoughtful moment, he met her eyes again and nodded. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted what I wanted. But the way you tried to get it; you said hurtful things to people that I love to get what you wanted. You almost made my worst nightmare a reality to get what you wanted. So, yes… this is it."

Hannah grabbed her coat and angrily put it on, not looking at him. She buttoned each button and he could hear her tears catching in her throat. She was sniffling and – she sounded like a little girl. His heart hammered against his chest; he almost wanted to run to her and hold her, make her tears go away. But… he couldn't.

The moment he overheard the two women talking, he knew. This was the right thing. He had to let her go now.

She walked up to him until their faces were an inch apart. "I guess this is goodbye, then," she said quietly.

He nodded, and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe this. An hour ago, his life was chaotic, but still resembled normal. Now… nothing was normal anymore.

She shook her head and smiled. "Hell, if I can't have you, then you have to promise me something, Seeley Booth."

"What's that?" he asked, responding instantly to her smile and the hopeful look in her eyes. Somehow it gave him hope for… well, something.

"Ask her."

"Ask, who? Bones? Ask her what?"

"Ask her why she did it, Seeley."

"Did what?"

"Ask her why she's having your baby!"

"I know why."

"You know nothing," she said quietly. She reached up and grabbed him, pulling him into one last passionate kiss.

After a couple interminable moments, she pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Just… ask her."

With that, she turned on her heel and fled from his office so quickly, in a blink she was completely gone.

Booth walked around his desk and sat down in his chair, resting his head in his hands. He felt alone and empty. Angry and sad. And still just so confused about everything. Nothing in his life was making sense right now.

His phone rang, offering him a sweet distraction from the swirl of thoughts permeating his mind.

"Booth."

"Hey, Booth. Agent Weil. I thought you were coming up to see the letter that your partner dropped off before."

Booth rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Letter?"

"Yes – the threat she received this morning? She dropped it off so I could do a handwriting analysis, profile and content check against past cases."

Booth's heart felt like it was caught in his throat. It was hammering in his chest. "What?" he managed.

"The threat. Someone sent her a letter telling her to get off the Roberts' case."

Booth hung up the phone, as fear gripped an ice-cold hold around his heart. He dialed the number he knew better than his own and waited as it rang. And rang.

By the time her voicemail picked up, he was long gone from his office.


	14. Chapter 14

_THANK YOU everyone for your patience! My week was so busy, I had hoped to get an update up earlier. Hopefully this week is calmer and I can. Thanks again for reading and for your awesome support, I love every review! Hope you enjoy chapter 14._

_-Gret_

**Chapter 14**

Booth was cursing Bones's voicemail the fifth time it picked up. His heart was racing. He grabbed his cell again, this time calling Agent Weil.

"What did the letter say?" he asked the moment the agent answered. He was breathless as he headed towards the Jeffersonian, praying silently that his partner was there safe and sound, that she had merely forgotten to carry her cell phone with her at this very moment.

"Booth, sorry to have scared you before," Agent Weil said in a rush. "I thought Dr. Brennan had told you about the letter."

Booth frowned, his eyebrows knit together. "She didn't," he said quietly. The fact that she didn't tell him about a threat on her life bowled him over. How could she not mention it?

He wondered if it had anything to do with Hannah's orders for Bones to try to stay out of his way as much as possible. But… the letter had to do with the case. Though it had more to do with her safety – and that was personal to him. Bones knew that. By not telling him until she knew more, she was keeping her promise to Hannah.

He chided himself for being so blinded, for letting someone into his life who could ever do that, ever tell a friend of his that she was basically not welcome, that she… didn't _fit_ into their new existence. How could he not have foreseen that she was that insecure, that vindictive – that out of touch with his feelings about the people in his life. Especially Bones. Hannah might not have known everything, granted. But she sure as hell knew that his partner was also one of his closest friends, that he would lay his life down for her. She knew they were close. And she tried to pull them as far apart as she could – at a time when things were complicated enough!

"Okay, here it is," Agent Weil said. "'Dear Dr. Temperance Brennan. Cease your investigation of Elisa Roberts' death immediately. This is not a threat; it's a promise that if you don't leave this case alone, you'll be sorry'. It was signed 'a very annoyed killer'," he finished.

Booth let out a low breath. He wanted to kill whoever wrote that letter to her. He wanted to look at his partner, know she was safe… and then yell at her for not_ knowing _him better! She should have known to tell him right away about this. She should have known that no matter what Hannah said, the two of _them_ were solid. Always. She should never _for a second _have questioned her place in his life. And she should have known that her safety and the safety of their baby was more important to him than anything! Definitely more important than the petty issues Hannah brought up!

Now he was angry in addition to being scared as hell. He prayed he'd have the chance – soon – to yell at his partner for not knowing better.

After hanging up with Agent Weil, he called Bones's number again. No answer. Cursing loudly, he threw the phone down on the passenger seat as he pulled into the garage at the Jeffersonian.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan heard her phone ringing but it was out of reach. It had fallen to the floor on the passenger's side of the car. Normally, she'd quickly turn her head and lean to get it – even while driving. But now… she was responsible for another human being. She felt like she needed to be more careful in general. Plus, her doctor had told her as much. Dr. Ying had "sensed" that she put herself in "far too much danger working so closely with the FBI on a daily basis" – and "recommended" that she change as many of her "careless habits" and "dangerous instincts" as possible. While the conversation had annoyed her at the time, she knew the doctor was right. Things had to keep changing. She had to box down some of her independent instincts because someone else fully depended on her now. And she loved the baby so much that she really was happy to work on changing her ways.

Plus, she realized that Booth was probably the one calling her. He'd been so angry when he'd stormed into his office, she wasn't sure what was going on. He had demanded that she leave. He'd barely looked at her. He'd just wanted her gone. The sooner the better. His eyes were fixed on one woman only. His girlfriend. His girlfriend who was making Brennan's life so much more complicated. She clearly wanted what was best for Booth. But… it still stung, when Brennan was honest with herself. It just stung when she looked beyond the logic and felt the emotional implications of Hannah's words.

Yes, she didn't know what her partner wanted now, as the phone rang and rang, but she was worried. What if he wanted to end their partnership because everything was so complicated now? What if he wanted to tell her that he proposed to Hannah? All she knew was that he was angry, at her it seemed, and wanted to talk about something serious with the woman he loved.

This conversation could wait – and it wasn't worth reaching for the phone.

A sudden light in her rearview mirror caught her eyes; she immediately spotted the blue and red lights of a police car behind her. She looked at the speedometer only to realize she was going five miles per hour over the speed limit. She pulled over, slightly annoyed, but understanding that the cop was just doing a job.

As she waited for him to approach, she reached for the phone. She could do that in a stopped position. She placed the phone in her pocket and rolled her window down as the cop neared.

"Hi, officer. I realize that I was going a little bit above the speed limit and I apologize. That was wrong. The law is clearly stated and my car clearly states my speed so logically, I should have—"

"Please step out of the car," he said gruffly, taking a step back to leave room for her to open the door.

"I don't understand," she said.

"Ma'am, step out of your vehicle," he repeated more firmly.

She had seen this on television – on a documentary about police officers called "COPS". In an instant, she realized that he thought she was inebriated. She didn't think she looked disheveled or sounded incoherent, but maybe to him, she did.

"I haven't been drinking, officer. I work with the FBI in fact…"

"Out of the car now."

Fear clenched at her insides. Something was wrong. She didn't want to get out of the car. Her instinct was to drive away. To slam on the gas and just go, calling Booth and asking him what to do. But… this guy would jump into his own vehicle and chase her. He had a cop car. They went faster than her car. And… if she crashed…

The impact, the airbag… she looked down at her stomach as tears sprung to her eyes. She couldn't take that chance.

She reluctantly opened her door and stepped out and before she could release a breath, she was staring into the barrel of the man's gun.

"Follow me. Any hesitation and I will use this," he ordered. He quickly stepped behind her and led her towards his car. She chided herself for taking the long way to the Jeffersonian. She had merely wanted more time to think and clear her head. But as a result, she was on this abandoned old road and no cars were driving by, witnessing what this man was doing.

She wanted to kick him in the groin. But she didn't want him to do anything back. She wanted to fight him like she would under any other circumstances. But… she could feel this connection within, a reminder that if she tried _anything, _she was putting another life in danger. Not just her own.

The gun poking her in the back, however, was a staunch reminder that she was already in danger. And if this was the same man who killed Elisa, he was more than capable of torturing and killing a pregnant woman. She had no desire to go down without a fight and this, really, was her only chance. With that, she swiveled around in a fluid move, years of karate coming back in a flash and flood of adrenaline. She expertly swung her leg high, kicking the man in the face. As he reacted to the kick, she took the opportunity to kick him as hard as she could in the groin.

He fell, grabbing onto Brennan and yanking her down with him. He immediately started fighting back full force. She instinctively rolled into a ball – the only way she could think to protect her stomach, her baby.

As his fist connected with her face and her arms, she struggled to untangle herself from his grip. Getting a few good kicks in, she freed herself and nearly made it to her car. But he pulled her to the ground once again, pulled on her hair and yanked her head back, slowly.

She couldn't see his face, but she could hear his acid tone as he removed the safety from his gun with a loud click. "This is not my fault. These are my orders. Plus, you've really annoyed me. You deserve to die. _Bitch."_

Her heart froze as she then heard the unmistakable sound of a gun firing before her world went black.


	15. Chapter 15

Here's a small chapter because even I couldn't leave it hanging there for longer than a day! My next update will be longer. THANK YOU AGAIN for all the reviews! You guys rock, you have no idea :)

-Gret

**Chapter 15**

Booth burst through the door of the Jeffersonian that gave way to the lab where he always found the squint squad. Running up to the platform he saw the whole squad – minus one squint. The only one he was looking for.

"Booth – what—" Cam started.

But he turned on his heel and ran toward Bones's office. He threw the door open, not caring about knocking or privacy. His stomach was in knots; none of that mattered at this moment. He just needed to see his partner.

His hope plummeted when the door opened to reveal an empty office.

"She's not here," Cam said, walking up to him. "What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the look on his face.

He shook his head and tried to keep his emotions in check. He wasn't normally emotional. But… he had no idea where Bones was.

Bones, the baby, Parker… they were his life. And two of them were missing because of his bad judgment. Because he let someone into his life so completely. This woman told Bones to back off. She reasoned with her, made it sound like it was the only way for _him_ to be happy, logically.

And because she was Bones she had listened only too well. Now, she was in danger. He could feel it in his own bones. He shuddered at the thought.

How could he let this happen? He looked around her empty office. What was he supposed to do now?

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

"Honey, are you okay?"

Brennan groaned. She recognized her father's voice immediately. A heavy weight was crushing her down. She felt gravel beneath her cheek. Her head was pounding. But… she hadn't been shot. At least, she didn't think so.

Finally, she felt the heavy weight being lifted and she was able to look at the source of the soothing voice nearby, and look into her dad's worried eyes.

"What happened?" she asked, noticing that her dad had just rolled the "cop" off of her. She assumed this man was not a real cop, considering he'd tried to kidnap and then kill her.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," Max said, kneeling beside her, touching her face. "This cut looks bad. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"How did you find me?"

"Well… I placed a tracker in your cell phone," he said sheepishly.

At her insulted and confused look, he added, "I told you that you were not alone, that I was going to take care of you right now. You know, be a father—"

She rubbed her bruised arms, sitting up. "A normal father wouldn't put a LoJack on his daughter."

"Well, you're not a normal daughter either. _You_ get into danger." He looked at the crumpled form beside him that was the man he had just killed. "Case in point."

"He said… he was following orders. I… I don't know who he was," Brennan said. She tried to steady her breathing, but found her fear and emotions were making it difficult. She had been at death's door before – in imminent danger. This was no different! And yet, the experience had rattled her to her core.

She looked up at her father, fully aware that she could be dead right now if it weren't for him and his odd way of showing over-protectiveness. "Thank you, dad."

He nodded and met her gaze. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Or the baby?"

"He got a couple decent hits in," she admitted. "Normally, I wouldn't even think about injuries like this. A potential concussion, some bruising all over – that's no big deal – but…"

"We need to get you to the hospital," he finished for her. "We need to make sure my granddaughter is okay." He attempted a smile, but she could see how nervous her father was. A man who had a long criminal history was shaken by what had just happened. Finding a man about to kill his own daughter execution-style, then taking his life and discovering that his pregnant daughter had been beaten a bit – it was enough to get to even the indomitable Max Keenan it seemed.

"What about him?" Brennan asked, looking again at the man who was responsible for the pain she was in now, for the fear she was still feeling right now.

"All I care about is getting you to the hospital," Max said softly.

He helped her stand, slowly, and led her to his own car. She placed a shaky hand on her abdomen, sending silent words of comfort to her baby girl.

_Please be okay. Please be okay. Please…_

For the first time in her life, she understood why people prayed. People like Booth.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Booth was going out of his mind. Where _was _she? He was trying to put the pieces together in desperate hope it led to something. After hanging up with Agent Weil, learning that he hadn't found any parallels with past cases, but discovered the handwriting was done by someone who was left-handed, his phone rang.

Hope danced in his stomach, mixed with nerves as he answered, praying it was Bones.

"Booth."

"It's Cam. I just received a call from the local PD," she said. He could hear the hesitation in her voice. That was not a good sign.

"What's going on, Cam?" he asked impatiently.

"They found Dr. Brennan's car on the side of Old Mill Road, off of the Beltway. It's the back road from the FBI to the lab—"

"I know the road—"

"She wasn't at the scene. But… a man dressed as a cop was killed. Her cell phone was at the scene, crushed into pieces. There were signs of a struggle. Blood. But… no sign of Dr. Brennan."

Booth squeezed his eyes shut quickly; he didn't dare to even breathe out, for fear that he'd begin hyperventilating. He had never felt this kind of crippling fear before. Okay, maybe he had felt _something _like this when she was buried alive, or when _his _friend from the FBI had kidnapped her and tried to kill her. Or when a serial killer targeted Parker. He'd felt the fear before. And he hated it.

He'd give his life up for them. Why couldn't this psycho from the case have threatened and attacked _him? _He was on the case, too. It wasn't as if she was the only one attempting to find him and punish him for his crimes.

He snapped the phone shut after Cam said she would keep him posted if any more information came in.

"Come on, come on," he said to himself. "Where are you, Bones?"


	16. Chapter 16

THANK YOU guys again for the awesome, awesome reviews. These honestly make my day! I hope you enjoy the next part ;)

-Gret

**Chapter 16**

Brennan walked into the ER with her father by her side. She felt uneasy. And nervous. She was not accustomed to feeling like this. She still couldn't breathe properly. In the days that she thought her partner had been killed, the experience had been like this. And that had startled her so much because she'd never had trouble breathing before. Ever. Not when her parents went missing, even.

Back then, she'd been scared. But… as her life zoomed by quickly, as she bounced from foster home to foster home, instead of letting her emotions rule her, she built walls up around herself. She was safe behind those walls. She empowered herself with science and facts. And she escaped with college and masters' programs, with degrees and anthropological digs.

Booth.

Booth was the man who broke her walls down. Over time, _years, _he chipped away at them. He showed her that not everyone leaves. He proved that good people, truly good people exist. He had faith in her; he cared about her. He even loved her. Even if it was platonic love, "atta girl" love – love from Booth had changed her forever.

She could hear Max talking to a nurse, filling out paperwork.

She lost herself in thoughts again. She'd only realized how far she'd come on her emotional journey when she'd received that telegram. Her protective walls couldn't protect her heart. Science couldn't rationalize the feelings that overflowed inside. As a result – she couldn't breathe. Thinking Seeley Booth was gone forever had hurt more than anything she had ever experienced.

Now – she was afraid for her baby. Their baby. She didn't know if there was anything else she could have done in that situation but fight. Going with the kidnapper would've taken all her power away; it would've probably meant death. Staying in the car and driving away would've most likely led to a crash. That impact would've been worse than a couple punches and kicks. She was sure of it.

But all the same. She felt responsible. If anything happened to the baby…

_She should've told Booth. _She sighed. She knew it with certainty. If Booth had known about the threat, he would've acted like an Alpha male. He wouldn't have let her out of his sight. Even if he did want to propose to Hannah.

Hannah. She'd told Brennan to back off. And she had – as best she could. But… the threat to harm her, that letter – she should have thought about the big picture. Right now, a threat on her was a threat on the baby. And the baby came first. Ever since she realized she was pregnant, this baby came first. And she failed her.

"Honey, I know you're nervous, but try not to worry," Max said, linking their arms together.

"How can I not worry?" Brennan asked, fighting tears. "I was in a pretty bad fight while pregnant."

Max smiled sadly. "You know, when your mom was pregnant with Russ, she got into a fight, too. A really bad one. In fact, she'd been shot. It was just a surface wound near her shoulder – but… the fight was _bad."_

"Mom was in a fight," Brennan said uncertainly. She still couldn't reconcile the image of her caring mom with the knowledge that she was a criminal.

Max laughed. "You see, honey? This is why it's great that I'm here to support you. How many other fathers could identify like this?"

"So I should be grateful that you both were criminals and had enemies to the point where they beat up a pregnant woman?"

Max just looked at her with that twinkle. "All I'm saying is that you work with what you've got. And if you're looking for reassurance, just think about your brother. Here's here. He was _fine."_

Brennan released a long breath and managed a smile at her father. "I'm guessing Russ doesn't know that story."

"No, why?"

"I don't think you should tell him," she said with a small laugh.

"Dr. Brennan, follow me," a nurse said.

Brennan looked at her dad. "Call Booth. Please. Tell him where I am, what happened. But don't alarm him. And… if he wants to come…"

"I'll tell him."

"Thanks dad." She squeezed his hand. "For everything."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Booth stood at the crime scene, while the investigators worked. He scanned every detail, while standing in the midst of the mess. To an outside observer he probably seemed calm. Serious, but detached.

He was anything but. The crushed phone, the dead cop, the blood – it was all leaving him with a sick feeling in his stomach.

The real cop was left unconscious in the back of his vehicle. This man, this _dead_ man, had been an imposter. And considering his car was parked behind Bones's car, sirens on, Booth knew that he'd pulled her over. Then…

He didn't want to think about what happened after that.

"We've got the tape," officer Jenkins said, striding up to Booth. "We can review it back at the station."

"Great," Booth said with enthusiasm he didn't feel.

His phone buzzed and a number he didn't recognize flashed across the screen. He turned away from the officer, flipping his phone open. "Booth," he barked out.

"Booth, it's Max."

Booth sighed. He really didn't want to explain to Bones's father that she was missing, possibly in the hands of some deranged—

"I'm with Tempe," Max said quickly.

Booth's breath caught, but he managed a small, "What?" Where?" Followed by a more panicked, "is she okay?"

"We're at the hospital right now," Max said.

At that, Booth's heart began hammering in his chest. "Is she okay?" he asked, slowly, and unintentionally, measuring each word with anguish and fear.

"She's okay. Probably a concussion," he said. "Some bad bruising. But… she does seem okay. Overall. We… we're really here to check on the baby."

Booth closed his eyes. He was relieved she was alive. Safe with her dad. At a hospital.

Standing at this crime scene, such a scenario was a blessing, and he knew that. But… something still tore at his heart, thinking about his partner hurt because he wasn't there to protect her and their baby.

He swallowed hard. He always wanted to keep her safe. Since the moment they met. At first it was because she was his responsibility. Cullen had told him that. But even before that, by asking her to partner up with him, he'd taken it upon himself, promised himself… _he _would watch out for her.

After awhile, that sense of responsibility for his partner became so much more than that. He'd gladly lay his life down to keep her safe. He very nearly did once. And he'd do it again. She was his best friend. Next to Parker – his whole life. This woman. She meant so much more to him that the desire to protect her was just something ingrained in him.

He made room for Hannah in his life, but that need to protect Bones, that love for his best friend – it never faltered.

This time – he wasn't there to save her. He'd failed her. And their baby. He knew that he couldn't have foreseen any of this when he kicked her out of his office. But all the same; she hadn't been fully honest with him because of Hannah. And _he_ hadn't seen Hannah for what she really was like. That was all on him. When it came to the people he loved the most, he couldn't just introduce anyone into all of their lives. He had to be sure.

He'd thought he was sure that her character was good. Pure. Genuine. Compassionate. But what he'd overheard…

He shook his head and stared at the gurney, where the fake cop was lying now. "I want a full report. I want to know who he was!" Booth spat out orders at the officers attending to him.

"Okay, Agent Booth," the sheriff said.

He knew without a shadow of a doubt how this man died. Max. Bones's father had come to her rescue. Max was always trying to kill people to protect his daughter. It was a quality that Booth identified with, but it also irked him. Because he was going to get himself thrown into prison again. And he didn't want to watch his partner say goodbye once again to her father. He didn't want to see that sad little girl look anymore.

He could clearly picture, thanks to her father, exactly how she must've looked when they disappeared when she was fifteen. He'd seen… _that look. _He hated it. So Booth was often trying to stop Max Keenan from diving headfirst into criminal activity and sometimes even murder.

This time; he was grateful beyond words at the man's interference. Because with a heavy heart he acknowledged that this all could have turned out very differently.

"Which hospital are you at?"

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Oh, he should've known better than to send a man out just two weeks out of prison to get the pretty doctor. The guy wasn't ready. He'd been out of the game for too long.

He'd just have to find someone else to put a stop to this murder investigation.


	17. Chapter 17

_Okay – a longer installment! Hope you enjoy and again – THANK YOU SO MUCH for the reviews and support. I enjoy writing this story, and for those who enjoy reading it, it really does mean the world._

_-Gret_

**Chapter 17**

Booth walked through the doors of the emergency room, a dark look on his face. He just needed to see her. It had been hours since he'd talked to her; told her to leave his office so he could talk to Hannah. And now… _this. _He just needed to know she was safe. That she was _okay._

"Booth." Max approached, attempting a smile. It didn't fool Booth. He could see he was nervous, too, though.

"Have you heard anything?" Booth asked.

Max shook his head. "She's been in there for almost an hour," he said nervously.

Booth rested his hand on the back of his neck and looked tiredly at Max. "What happened?" he finally asked. The two words were charged with emotion. Fear.

Max walked over to the seats in the waiting room and Booth followed, collapsing tiredly into one.

"I told Tempe that I'd stay with her. Take care of her. I… I think she was feeling a bit alone," he divulged.

At that, sadness coursed through Booth. He hated the idea – had always hated the idea – of Bones being alone. She was independent to a fault and he'd always feared that as a result she'd push people away before ever having the chance to love them. Even her family.

Booth nodded at Max to continue.

"Well, since I know that she can be stubborn… and get into trouble, I… well, I put a tracker on her cell phone."

Booth's eyebrows shot up at that. "You put a LoJack on your daughter?"

"It's my way of keeping an eye on her, like I promised, even when I'm not around her."

"You never cease to amaze me, Max," Booth said coolly. He was, for the first time ever, thankful that Bones's family was… well, the way it was. Unique. Odd. Ready for danger. Ready to do anything necessary to protect each other. Even intrude on privacy.

"I followed her today to the FBI – more because I had nothing to do than anything else. I didn't think she was in danger."

"So… she hadn't told you about the letter, either?"

Max looked confused. "I don't know anything about a letter," he said.

"Someone sent her a death threat this morning. And instead of telling me about it, she… she just gave it to our profiling agent. I saw her afterward. She never mentioned it." Admitting this to Max, Booth felt a fresh wave of guilt and anger.

Noticing his struggle, Max said "Booth, I think she's just… trying to do what's right. She's trying to compartmentalize like she always does. And act normal – except normal isn't what it used to be. And she wants _you_ to be happy, more than anything, with your new girl."

Booth breathed out and stared at his hands. "She tell you that?"

"In her way."

Booth shook his head. "Everything has been a mess since we got back. And… I don't think either of us is handling things the right way."

After a moment, he looked at the older man again. "So you put a tracker on her. What happened?" he repeated, bracing himself.

"When I saw her leave the FBI building alone, I followed her again. Except some idiot cut me off and I lost her for a bit. I had to pull over and look at the tracking device. I got there, but I wasn't in a rush. I had no idea she was in trouble. When I got there, I saw her on the ground – and it looked like a cop was beating her up. She broke free as I parked and grabbed my gun. But he grabbed her again."

Max stopped and looked at Booth squarely. "On the level, Booth, I wouldn't have killed him if I didn't have to. I _am _trying to do the right thing now. But… she's my daughter. I'd rather _die_ than let something happen to her."

The force of Max's words hit Booth like a tidal wave. He understood how the man felt. Booth hated killing anyone. Ever. But… he'd do it in a heartbeat for his son – for his daughter… and for Bones.

"By the time I was out of my car, he had her… gun to her head, safety off. He was seconds away from shooting. And… I did first."

Booth released a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. It was something like what Booth imagined. Still, hearing the account – Max pulling up to Bones getting beaten, watching her nearly get shot… it was enough to steal the breath from him, to cause guilt to course through him again at the whole situation. After a long moment, he looked at Max again.

"You saved her life, Max," he said quietly. "Thank you."

Max just nodded.

"Mr. Keenan?" a doctor said, walking up to them.

"Yes."

The two men stood up and the doctor looked at Booth. "I'm sorry sir, but—"

"If you're going to reel off some mumbo jumbo about family only, I'll save you the speech. See, I am family," Booth said. "That's my baby in there. And… she's my partner…" he couldn't think of how to define his relationship with Bones to this doctor, to make him see that Bones was family in every sense of the word.

What kind of a world was it if family was only measured by blood? Bones was more family to him than almost everyone he was actually related to.

Max nodded at the doctor. "I'm just going to botch up my translation of what you tell me when I tell it all to him afterward."

The doctor nodded and looked at Booth sympathetically. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were the baby's father."

Booth nodded impatiently.

"The baby is fine – though we want to keep Dr. Brennan here tonight and keep an eye on them both."

"Is she okay?" Max asked.

"That's another reason we want to keep her here tonight. She has a severe concussion," the doctor explained. "Other than that – just some bruising. No broken bones or sprains."

Max smiled. "That's good news," he said.

"Yeah, real good. Bones has a bad concussion."

Max looked at Booth. "The baby's fine. And Tempe will be fine, too. She's in the hospital and they'll keep an eye on her."

"Her maternal instincts saved her baby," the doctor explained.

"What do you mean?" Booth asked.

"Well – she had no cracked or bruised ribs, nothing wrong at all with her abdominal area. She had a lot of bruising on her arms and legs though. When I asked her about it, she explained that she rolled into a ball. She was protecting her baby."

Something tugged at Booth's heartstrings at that thought. He knew she'd be a great mother. But… now he could see she that even in the most desperate situation, she would always find a way to try to protect their baby.

"Can we see her?" he asked.

"Just one at a time." With a smile, the doctor walked away.

"You go, Booth. She'll want to see you," Max said. "I'm going to… I should go back to Tempe's. Change. Lay low."

Booth realized that Max had no idea if he was a wanted fugitive right now, for killing that 'cop'. "You'll go right to her place? You'll be there later?" Booth asked. He didn't want to see him take off in the night like he tended to do.

"Yes. I can't leave her right now. I don't care what happens."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan was uncomfortable. Every inch of her body seemed to hurt. She really wanted to go out with Booth for a drink like they used to. Last year. That always helped ease any kind of pain. Emotional. Physical. She liked their tradition.

But – she wouldn't be easing any pain with a casual drink any time soon. Thankfully. The baby was okay. She touched her stomach and smiled softly. "You're very tough," she said quietly. "Like your dad."

A soft knock preceded the door to her room opening. She saw her partner peek his head in. "Bones?"

The shock at seeing him quickly gave way to relief to see his face. She felt the warmth and safety of his presence at once as he walked fully into the room. Hands in pockets, he looked uncomfortable. She watched him watch her – analyzing with his eyes every mark on her face and the visible ones on her arms.

"Hi, Booth," she said, though something caught in her throat, making it hard to talk. She cleared her throat. "The baby is okay."

He nodded, but still wouldn't make eye contact. "And you?"

"I'm fine," she lied. "It could've been worse. So really, I'm very lucky."

At that, he met her eyes. She saw a flash of anger there, and immediately all warm feelings vanished. "You look angry," she pointed out.

"Got that right, Bones. You could've been killed." He walked up to the bed and sat down in the chair next to her. "How could you not have told me about the letter?"

She knew this was coming. And… she deserved it. She'd failed their baby by not telling Booth the whole truth this morning.

"I thought I could handle everything on my own. I thought the letter was just a scare tactic – the kind we've seen countless times before. And… I thought that since it was evidence, I could just get it to Agent Weil on my own – and not worry you."

Booth released a shaky breath. "You're right. I would've worried, Bones. But I would've worried a hell of a lot less than I did all day today after I found out about the letter and couldn't find you."

"I'm sorry, Booth," she said. She closed her eyes as a tear escaped. Instinctively she went to wipe the tear with her right hand, but the IV cord was too short. She opened her eyes just as Booth raised a hand to gently wipe the tear himself.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated. "I… I failed her."

"Who?"

"The baby. I've done things like this before. Run into dangerous situations with very little consideration of my own safety. But right now, my safety _is _her safety. At the very least, I should've told you about the letter so you could've protected her in your Alpha male way."

"Bones." He said her name like he was sad, desperate. "Yes. I mean, you should've told me about the letter. I need to make sure our baby is always safe. But… your safety matters more to me than my own life. I think that I've proven that over the years."

"You have, Booth."

"Even if you weren't pregnant, I expect you to tell me these things. If something had happened to you today, even if you weren't pregnant… I'd never forgive myself. Don't you understand that?"

She nodded. "I guess. I mean… when I thought you were dead, this time around," she clarified, "it was… awful. I felt responsible because I felt like you were there because of me. I couldn't forgive myself." She paused, something occurring to her. "Come to think of it, I felt a lot of guilt the first time I thought you were dead too, because you took that bullet for _me._"

"And I'd do it again."

"I think that you need to stop putting yourself in danger for me," she teased, which earned her a small, light laugh from Booth.

"Sorry to have interrupted your celebration or whatever with Hannah because I was in danger," she said.

At that, his smile disappeared. "Celebration?"

"I assume that you two… I don't know… it seemed like you wanted to talk to her in private, and it was very serious. You seemed nervous. I've read that men experience an increase in pulse rate and perspiration prior to proposals."

He looked down at his hands before looking at her again, into her eyes. "We're not together anymore."

That was not what she was expecting. Relief and happiness pranced through her whole body, as she tried to suppress those feelings and show her partner sympathy. His happiness was still what mattered most to her.

"I heard what she said to you." His voice was quiet – almost, ashamed. She wasn't very good at reading people. So she couldn't be sure.

"Bones, why didn't you tell me?"

Brennan looked at her lap, suddenly uncomfortable. "She… she made sense," she said honestly. "She explained how unhappy you'd been because of me. How happy you were with her. Logically, it would only seem—"

"She took advantage of your reliance on logic," he said, a hint of anger in his voice. "And I'm just sorry that… that someone I brought into my life treated you like that. Someone who told you to not keep me involved with the baby," he said, his voice catching. "Told you that I wasn't happy about our baby."

"So you are happy… about the baby?" she asked trying to shield the look of hope she was feeling.

"You have no idea," he said softly. "Bones, know this. You are my best friend. The best partner I've ever had. And you need to understand how much you mean to me. Really understand, Bones. Because if anyone ever tries to push you away again, I need to know that you'll come to me. That you'll let me know everything."

"I will," she promised, her eyes tearing up. "Thank you." This is why she fell in love – somewhere over the course of the past years – with Seeley Booth. It didn't matter if she'd lost her moment with him. Loving him was so easy because of who he was inside.

He touched a bruise on her cheek that was partially covered by a bandage on her head, covering her flesh wound. "Does it hurt?"

She nodded. "A little. But I'll be okay."

He nodded and looked down. After a couple sweet moments of silence, of watching him look down at the floor, lost in thought, he slowly raised his head again and met her gaze.

"Why did you do it?" he finally asked.

"Do what?"

"Why did you decide to have my baby?"


	18. Chapter 18

_Sorry for the delay – but here is chapter 18! The next one has already been started so it should be up soon. THANK YOU AGAIN for the reviews! This really is an amazing fandom!_

_-Gret_

**Chapter 18**

Hannah had told Booth to ask. But now that the question was out of his mouth, he wondered, once again, _why_. Bones had already told him why she'd decided to have his baby. It had been because she had his sample… because they'd talked about it… because he'd died… because she had his permission… and because she was Bones.

He knew he'd confused her when he'd asked her a question she had already answered. At this moment, she stared at her hands, folded in her lap. She looked a little fidgety, actually, pulling on the fabric of her hospital bedding.

"Bones, you okay?"

She started at the sound of his voice and looked at him. "Yes. Just… thinking."

"I know," he said. "It was a dumb question. You told me why you did it."

"It's not a dumb question," she said, holding his gaze steady for a long moment. Finally she broke it and returned to staring at her hands. "I just wasn't expecting you to ask me that."

"Yeah, well… it…" he trailed off, realizing she had basically confirmed that he really didn't know the whole story. "Wait, Bones, is there something you didn't tell me?"

When she looked back at him, her eyes were apologetic and conflicted. Whatever she had to tell him, it wasn't easy for her. Now he felt bad; in addition to her physical pain, he was causing her emotional turmoil.

"It's okay," he said quietly. "We can talk another time if you want."

"No… Booth. You… you deserve to know the truth. The whole truth." She looked up at him with a half-smile. "I feel like I'm on trial."

"Nothing but the truth," he quipped, shooting her his trademark charming grin. "Listen, Bones," he said, leaning forward so his elbows rested on her bed. "You can tell me anything. Look at everything that we've been through over the years. Hell, even just this week!"

That earned him a small laugh.

"I can take it," he said.

She nodded and looked around the room – almost like she was looking for courage somewhere outside of herself. She must have found it, he realized, when she turned to him, releasing a long breath.

"Booth… I never understood my own heart. I really didn't. I can see that now. I know that a lot of people just see me as a cold scientist, unfeeling and… and solitary. Like I don't need people – or I'm too good for them. I do hear what people say. And I've seen how they look at me." She looked at him at that. "You look at me differently."

"Because I know that you're a complex woman, Bones." He moved a hair off her forehead gently, smiling at her. "Lots of layers," he added.

"I realize that if I've changed at all, it's been because of you."

He nodded, slowly putting the pieces together.

She opened her mouth to continue, but closed it again. She looked so torn that he felt honestly bad. He had been the one to ask her the big "why." He decided to try to help her, based on what she'd already said.

"So you felt, when you thought that I'd died, that you wanted to… honor me? Honor our friendship? Take the best part of yourself that you think I showed you – and mix it with me because I'm your best friend—"

"—Not really." She shook her head, like she really thought about what he was saying but decided to dismiss it all as utter crap. "And to tell you the truth, Booth, that sounded a little cocky."

At the mention of the word adorning his favorite belt buckle, he just smirked at her knowing she was teasing him. "I guess I'm not following what you're saying, then."

"What I'm saying is… I get it now," she said quietly.

"Get what?"

She looked at him. "My heart," she answered, sounding choked up. She took a couple of deep, quivering breaths. "You know when you hear a static radio station suddenly, finally, become crystal clear? You can hear what the announcer or deejay is saying, or the lyrics of the song playing?"

He nodded, even as his heart rate quickened. His hands turned cold with apprehension as he hopefully wondered where she was going with her quiet admission…

"The moment that I received that telegram, it could very well be likened to that same effect of finding clarity after years of… static."

He furrowed his eyebrows together. "That sounds like a good thing," he said, confused as to why a tear was falling down her cheek. "Why do you seem upset? I would think that having an open heart – a term I am coining from you by the way – would be something you'd want."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I realized that I loved you," she said, like the words were rushing to freedom from some prison deep inside of her.

And once they were free, those words stole his breath. His heart hammered a staccato rhythm against his chest. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't blink. He just… looked at her. Waited.

Wait… _she loved him? _Did she still—

She looked at him finally. "You were dead. And it was only then that I could realize what you realized those months before! And I felt… guilty that you were there because of me. Angry that I missed my chance to be with you. And… I felt lost because you were gone. I couldn't… I couldn't breathe… I just… I can't… "

Right now she looked like she was having trouble breathing too. She looked like she was hyperventilating just _reliving_ it. "Hey, Bones… Bones… are you okay?"

She shook her head slowly as a nurse entered the room. "Sir, you're going to have to leave," the nurse said, bending to take Bones's vitals. "She's all worked up. This isn't good for the baby after what she's been through today. It isn't good for the mother either."

"Bones… calm down. It's okay. _Please_."

"Sir, please—"

"I'm not going anywhere. This is my… she's my… that's my baby," he finally spit out.

The nurse turned to face him and looked at him squarely. "Well they both need to rest. And apparently you're making that difficult. She can't be this excited tonight. You can come back tomorrow."

"I'll wait in the hall until she's calmed down. And then I will just sit here. Quietly. But I am not going home. Someone threatened her today. It's why she's here right now. And… it's my job to protect her."

"We can have security outside her—"

"—it's _my _job."

The nurse stared at Booth for a long moment, seemed to be searching his eyes for… _something. _She finally sighed and turned back to Bones.

"We can talk in a bit. But for now – please wait outside."

Glancing once more at Bones, who was resting against her pillow, eyes closed, her expression far from peaceful – he turned on his heel and walked out of her hospital room.


	19. Chapter 19

_Okay – here you go! THANK YOU ALL for your amazing reviews, you know I love them! (longer A/N at the end of this chapter – hope you enjoy!)_

_-Gret _

**Chapter 19**

Booth paced in the hallway outside Bones's hospital room, his mind reeling. He was worried about Bones. And at the same time, he felt sort of like a teenager trying to build up the courage to ask his dream girl to go to the prom with him. He hadn't felt that way since… well since he'd actually been a teenager. Only this woman could make him feel like this. His stomach was doing flips worthy of an Olympic medal.

Did Bones actually say that when she thought he was dead, she realized she _loved _him? That the reason she had his baby when she did was because… because she was in love with him ?

He grabbed his cell phone and punched in Sweets's number. When the young psychologist answered, Booth, his voice tight, demanded he come to the hospital right away. "It's an emergency," he added.

He put a hand to his forehead and thought once again about that fateful day at the reflecting pool. She had hugged him and held on tight. Looking back now, he realized she was holding on so tightly because she had him back – it was their first time seeing each other after her scare that he had died. She had wiped a tear. It all made sense now.

She'd been smiling, excited to tell him her news. Right then, he realized, she'd been about to share it all. She would've told him about the baby, about being in love… everything.

"Why did I have to open my damn mouth?" he asked himself, not caring about the strange looks he was getting from other patients and doctors in the hallway at that moment.

He realized that even if Bones had had her chance to talk that day, it would've been awkward. Because Hannah arrived moments later. She was his girlfriend then. He even believed he loved her then. Though the moment he'd laid eyes on his partner, he'd been fully aware that he hadn't been as successful as he'd hoped at getting over _her_. He hadn't moved on the way he had believed he had.

And now Bones told him what he'd been dying to hear for so long. She told him that she realized she loved him. Her love was what created the baby. Not… her logic. Or her literal nature. This baby was conceived in love. Granted not in the traditional sense. But, all the same…

He smiled at that.

This was the day from hell, almost from the start. Overhearing what Hannah had said to Bones, finding out about the threatening letter, not being able to find Bones, finding her car at a bloody crime scene and then finding her beaten in the hospital… this definitely ranked up there among the worst days of his life.

But somehow, at the end of all that made his day so awful, Temperance Brennan managed to throw something good into the mix. Something… great.

_She loved him._

He had no idea if she still loved him. Perhaps she had gotten over it since he'd resurfaced after their time apart seemingly in love with another woman – who proceeded to treat Bones like she was the unwanted third wheel. Maybe it was all enough to force Bones to just do, once again, what she always did best – bury her feelings until even she didn't understand them anymore. Was that why she'd had trouble breathing, telling him about it?

_Where was Sweets?_

Well, no matter what, one thing was for certain. She had loved _him_, Seeley Booth. Past, present, future… it didn't matter. He had something now that he hadn't had in a long time.

Hope.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Her breathing finally slowed. Her body finally relaxed. The beeps on the machine monitoring her vitals indicated that everything was calm again. _Normal_.

Except… nothing was normal anymore, was it? Wasn't that why she kept suffering Asthma-like symptoms?

She really was not enjoying the side effects of being in love. Coupled with the side effects of pregnancy, it was a little too much to deal with all at once.

This was the third time she had experienced trouble breathing. Seeley Booth as well as her unborn baby girl both had the power to overwhelm her emotions. She surmised that since all these feelings were relatively new to her, and since the pregnancy was creating extra hormones into her body, she was simply experiencing an increase in her endorphin and estrogen levels.

She rested her head back and stared at the special on the TV that the nurse had put on. It was about Mozart – and the music and monotone voice of the narrator truly was soothing. She didn't pay attention to the content of the program.

Her mind was occupied with thoughts of Booth. She had told him the last piece of the mystery she'd been holding close to her heart since her return home. She'd admitted, out loud, that she loved him. Then she'd panicked to the point where a nurse kicked him out of the hospital room.

She didn't even get to see his reaction. Had he looked surprised? Happy? Nervous? Contemplative? Had he even heard her? He hadn't said anything.

She had said it out loud. She was sure of it. She had just panicked immediately; he really hadn't had a chance to really react. Unfortunately. Because now she was left wondering.

Did he still feel that way about her? Did they possibly have a chance to have what'd she'd been fantasizing about on the second half of her Indonesian dig?

She hoped. But… she really had no clue.

See, this was why she preferred science and facts over emotions. Knowing was so much better than wondering. Only an insane person would _willingly_ enter into something like love.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Dr. Lance Sweets hung up the phone with Angela as he walked through the doors of the local hospital, after promising her that Dr. Brennan was just fine. Though he wasn't exactly positive on her status himself. Booth hadn't been too clear when he'd called him before.

He'd mentioned a kidnapping attempt. He'd mentioned his partner was in the hospital but doing okay, overall. Then he'd demanded that he get there because of another emergency.

Needless to say, Angela and Hodgins were on their way to the hospital, too.

"Sweets, what took you so long?" Booth said when he spotted him.

"You called me twenty minutes ago."

"And I said it was an _emergency. _Emergency, Sweets. That's code for 'get here _fast'."_

"I'm not sure how I could've gotten here any faster, Agent Booth."

Booth laughed. "Let's just say it's a good thing you don't work for a rescue squad."

Sweets closed his eyes and counted to three slowly. These two partners tried his patience more than anyone else he'd even met in his entire life. But he liked them. They were his friends. And clearly they'd had a stressful day.

He opened his eyes and looked Booth. "What's the emergency?"

Booth opened his mouth and then shut it again, turning away and pacing the floor.

"Is she okay?"

"The nurse came out again five minutes ago. She's okay," he said.

"So…"

"She loves me," he finally said, turning on his heel and stopping mid-pace. "Or… she did love me," he added, as an afterthought. "When she thought I died. I assume you know all of this?"

Sweets nodded hesitantly. He couldn't betray the confidence of Dr. Brennan from their private session. But… Booth was acknowledging that he knew everything now.

Thankfully. Sweets hated secrets. Especially the ones that always seemed to float between these two when it came to their feelings.

"You know, you're a real piece of work, Sweets. Sitting there, letting me talk about ending our partnership, talking about how mad I was about everything, letting me think she had the baby out of some sense of logic!"

Sweets folded his arms across his chest defensively. He knew it was a defensive stance. This was exactly what he studied. Body language. Tone. But… he felt he was being attacked. It made sense.

"You know I can't tell you anything that is discussed in private in another session."

"But she's my—"

"—Doesn't matter. You know the rules. And you know I'd never betray your confidence either," he added for good measure.

That stopped Booth and the agent finally met his eyes. He looked tired. Stressed. At the end of his rope. "I know," he finally said. "I'm just… this has been one hell of a day, you know that?"

Sweets took a seat in the hallway and Booth followed suit, taking the seat next to him. "What happened?"

"The quick version? Bones came to my office, but neglected to mention that before she came to my office she stopped by Agent Weil's to drop off the death threat she'd received this morning."

Sweets' eyebrows shot up, but as that surprise faded, he just shook his head. That sounded like Dr. Temperance Brennan. Always thinking she could handle everything on her own.

"I left for a bit and Hannah arrived while I was gone. When I got back, I overheard them talking. She was telling Bones to… to stay out basically. She wanted her to leave me alone pretty much. She told her that I wasn't happy about the baby. And to keep me uninvolved. For now."

Sweets nodded sympathetically. "That must have been hard to hear."

Booth nodded. "I thought she was different. I never thought that… I mean, I wouldn't have ever let her into my life if I'd thought—"

"—of course," Sweets said emphatically. "You thought that she was okay with the news about the baby."

"She said she was okay about it. But… she'd gone to see Bones the day after I found out about the baby. What I overheard was apparently the _second _conversation."

"And Dr. Brennan didn't tell you?"

"She didn't tell me about Hannah's visit. She just… she was just a bit distant. Of course that makes perfect sense now. She didn't tell me about the letter this morning. She didn't tell me. Any of it."

"Apparently she did tell you something new today," Sweets said coyly.

And relief flooded through him as he saw Booth smile a bit. "Yes."

"What happened after you overheard the girls talking?"

"I kicked Bones out of my office so I could talk to Hannah. Of course, had I known about the letter, I wouldn't have let her out of my sight." He sighed frustrated clearly. "I broke up with Hannah. Then Agent Weil called and I found out about the letter. After that – let's just say it was the hour from hell. I had no idea where Bones was. I just knew that she was in danger."

"But you obviously found her. She's here. She's safe."

Booth shook his head. "She'd be dead if it weren't for Max," he said quietly, something catching in his throat as he admitted this fact. He looked at Sweets. "I'm almost positive of that."

"Her dad? How?"

"It doesn't matter," Booth said. "Because he's Max, basically," was all the explanation Sweets would get on that matter for now. "But I wasn't there."

"You couldn't be. You had no idea—"

"She's… _Bones. _Even if I can't be there to save her, I _need _to be. I can't live with the consequences of not being there."

Sweets leaned forward and put some of the unspoken pieces together himself. She had been beaten, probably fighting to survive. Her dad had saved her. Brought her here. And she'd been rattled enough to tell Booth the only piece of their story he was missing.

"So she told you that she loves you?" he asked – more to see Booth lose the end-of-the-world-as-he-knows-it expression.

Booth nodded. "I've been waiting to hear her say that. For… I don't know how long."

Sweets nodded, but… happy as he was, he knew too much about Dr. Brennan's feelings about Booth. She was in an extremely delicate, fragile position. And it had to be handled just right.

"What did you say when she told you that?" 

"I couldn't say anything," he admitted. He looked frustrated again. "She freaked out. Her heart rate picked up, she was having trouble breathing… a nurse came in and kicked me out. She said I can't go in there for awhile. That my being there was getting her too worked up."

Sweets understood perfectly. Probably better than either of them understood each other or themselves, why Dr. Brennan had that reaction.

Right now, he needed to know, "what are you planning on doing about this new knowledge?"

Booth sat back and looked up. Thinking. After a couple moments, he breathed out. "I love her," he admitted comfortably with a shrug of the shoulders. "I always have. And as much as I tried, I never stopped."

Sweets nodded. He wasn't going to enjoy this one bit.

"Maybe now we can finally be together," Booth said. His eyes looked so warm just thinking about it. He had that look that Sweets usually only spotted when Booth was staring at his partner. It seemed the thought of finally being with her brought the look out, too.

Them being together was just right. Sweets hadn't seen Agent Booth smile like that in so long. This was right.

But… it was delicate. With these two – it was an extra-delicate, handle-with-care situation.

"What?" Booth demanded, noticing Sweets' far-off look.

Sweets sighed. "Do you want my professional opinion?"

"You'll tell me anyway. So… spill it."

"If you really love her – and I _know_ you do," he added, meeting his friend's eyes – "you can't be together yet."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

_A/N: I know, I know… but I PROMISE that his advice is something you might find yourself totally agreeing with and even enjoying. Mini story spoiler: B/B fluff, romance and even a bit of danger (obviously) is ALL coming up! So please stay tuned!_

_As always – you guys are such supportive readers. THANK YOU for reading, for feedback and comments – just for everything. It's motivating in the most amazing way._


	20. Chapter 20

THANK YOU again for the reviews! Have I mentioned that you all ROCK! I'm very excited about the chapters ahead – hope you enjoy this one! Thanks again for being so supportive w/ my story.

I love any and all kinds of feedback!

-Gret

**Chapter 20**

"Where is she?" Angela Montenegro said, rushing down the hallway, anxiously eyeing Booth and Sweets. "Is she okay? What happened?"

"Those are _all_ popular questions today," Booth said lightly, still feeling pretty anxious about the day's events himself. "She's… well, as okay as she can be considering what happened."

"Well, what _happened_, Booth?" Angela demanded. Hodgins ran up behind his wife. He'd obviously been in charge of parking the car, while his wife stormed in to make sure her best friend was alive and alright.

Booth sighed. "Bones can tell you. Oh, and when she gets to the part about how she didn't mention the letter to me, feel free to give her a lecture of your very own. I already said my piece, but with her, hearing it twice can never hurt."

"What letter?"

"She's in room 212," he said. "And… try to keep it relaxing. Even the part where you yell at her."

"My pregnant best friend is in the hospital. She was apparently nearly kidnapped and killed from what little I know based on my phone conversation with Sweets. I don't plan on yelling at her," Angela said, putting her hands on her hips in an indignant manner.

"Oh, you'll want to yell at her when she gets to the part about the letter, Ange."

Angela opened her mouth, undoubtedly to ask more questions, but Booth waved his hand in a "shoo" manner. "Go. Room 212. And remember – keep it calm since she can't get worked up."

Angela rolled her eyes at Booth, though he could tell that seeing that he wasn't flipping out was a good sign. She visibly relaxed during their conversation. He realized it was a good thing she hadn't been with him throughout the day. She would've been far more nervous.

She walked halfway down the hall with Hodgins by her side and then disappeared into Room 212. Bones's room. When the door clicked shut, Booth turned to face Sweets.

"Well, Sweets, I'm dying to know, so please, don't keep me waiting."

"Know what?" Sweets asked. Though Booth knew he was just buying time.

"_You. _You're a real piece of work, Sweets, you know that? You ask permission to study us. Over the course of the past couple years, you openly suggest _every chance you get_ that we have feelings for each other. You eventually adjust that thesis to state that we are _in love_ with each other. And now – she says that she realized she loves me. I am telling you that I love her. And suddenly our biggest fan is telling me to just let it go?"

"For now," Sweets said, like he was reasoning with a child. "Look. Okay. What was your life like just this morning?"

Booth closed his eyes. He hated Sweets' roundabout ways of getting to the point. "I woke up with Hannah."

"With Hannah. Exactly. Booth, just this morning, you were in another relationship. A loving relationship."

"Well, this morning, I was unaware that my girlfriend was feeding advice to my partner, telling her to basically stay away from me. You don't do that. I don't allow it. And that's why she's no longer my girlfriend."

"As of, what, four hours ago?"

"So what?"

"Booth – if you want this thing to work, to really have a chance, you can't jump from one serious relationship into another in _one day."_

"But Sweets—"

"She lived with you, Booth. You two had moved in together. It was not just a fling. Or a couple moonlit dates. It wasn't even just sex. It was emotional. And for about half of a year now, it was a big part of your life."

Booth sighed and closed his eyes, resting his arms on his legs, hands folded together tightly. Sweets was right. Of course he was right. But… it still annoyed him.

"I have wanted to hear her say those words for so long," he said quietly. Even he could hear the yearning in his own voice. He shook his head. "I'd given up hope on… on _us. _You know? I met a woman who I knew I could be happy with. Hannah. I knew I could be happy with her. In so many ways, we just, we _worked. _We were perfect for each other in ways that Bones and I are just not."

He turned his head and looked at Sweets squarely. "But she was never Bones," he admitted. "I loved her. I did. She gave me hope. She made me happy. She got me through the hardest emotional mess I'd ever been in. So my feelings for her _were _real. But I knew that the feelings I had for Bones were unique. Bones, I… I never felt this way about _anyone. _Ever."

"So you were okay with moving on, knowing that you would always be in love with Dr. Brennan? You allowed yourself to love someone else at the same time because you knew that you couldn't help the love you felt for Dr. Brennan – and you had no reason to hope it'd ever lead to anything?"

"Something like that," Booth answered mildly. "Bones… she left it out. I mean, she told me about the baby. With Hannah around, that must've been hard. But… she let me think it was all about her and her circle of logic and science. She never let on… I had no idea that she felt that way."

"I guess she felt you deserved the chance to be happy. She saw you as being in love. And she wanted to be happy for you. She didn't want to get in the way of your chance at happiness and love. She felt that she'd already hurt you enough last year when it came to your heart."

"Yeah, well, Hannah did a pretty good job of that herself today."

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to honestly give us a chance. But… she hurt someone I love. When I heard her say those things—"

"Did she apologize?"

Booth nodded, thinking back to Hannah's pleas and promises. "But, I couldn't forget that she did that. She hurt my partner, my best friend. And she tried, in a way, to get between me and my baby. I couldn't forget that. She… she wasn't the woman I thought she was."

Sweets sighed. "And this is why you need to wait now."

"I'm not going to Bones now because I'm free of Hannah. I'm not telling her I love her because I'm without a girlfriend and lonely. It's not because she's carrying my baby either. _I love her_. And even though this year was… all over the place for us… that doesn't just go away."

"Booth, if this were any other woman, I would take a step back and say 'go for it.' And I'd cheer you on. But… she's not just any woman. She's so protected by her walls and her science. She's never been able to understand and process her own emotions. She has kept most people at arms' length because she doesn't know how to let them in. She's ready to believe that people who love you will leave."

"I won't leave."

"But she'll always wonder if you wanted to. From her perspective, the only reason that it didn't work out with Hannah was because of what you overheard. And it sounds like that might even be true, which I think is something you might need to take time understanding. Dr. Brennan is pregnant with your baby, she's in danger… and she thinks you're an Alpha male. She doesn't want to be your responsibility. She's finally realized that she loves you. She thought it was too late, that she realized it too late. If you go in there now and propose a relationship, she'll be happy at first. And then she'll do her classic Dr. Brennan thing."

"Classic Dr… what?"

"She'll look at the evidence. You returned home from Afghanistan seemingly very happy and in love with another woman. You seemed to move on just fine. Her revelation that she was pregnant was met initially with… well, tension. Your girlfriend turned out to be somewhat of a bully let's just say and you caught on and dumped her. Great. But… you did seem happy with her beforehand. She'll always wonder if your feelings for her did disappear, but because she is pregnant, you stepped up. Did the noble thing."

"She wants evidence, huh?"

"You know it. She understands her own heart more now, yes. And that's great. But it's so new to her. And she doesn't understand the depth of emotions in the people around her. Especially you after this year. She'll build a case in her mind. She'll stack the evidence. And she'll probably break her own heart – and yours – in the process."

"And you're sure of this."

"I don't think it's worth the risk."

Booth sighed. "Why can't she be like other women?" he muttered. "It'd be a hell of a lot easier."

"Would you want her to be?"

Booth smiled. "Absolutely not," he said firmly. "So what do I do?"

Sweets smiled and looked down. He closed his eyes for a moment, almost like he was picturing something beautiful in his mind. "Give her new evidence. Proof."

"Proof…"

"Take time to really get over your breakup. Be open with her about it. And… your feelings for her – just _show_ them. She's a scientist at heart. She needs to be shown so that there's no doubt in her mind."

Booth smiled. Sometimes this kid wasn't such a bad psychologist.

Courting Bones would be the greatest honor of his life. Especially now that he had hope it would lead to something. He would take all the time in the world for her if he had to. Though he honestly hoped it wouldn't take that long.

He laughed almost giddily. "Bones is going to get the moves by one Seeley Booth."

"This should be good," Sweets said, half-smirking, clearly fearing he created a monster.

"Oh, it will be."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

_Dear Agent Booth,_

_How's your partner? She's not looking too good right now. It's nice that she's got company. The curly haired man and Asian woman seem like a nice couple. I'm just glad I'm close by to keep an eye on my favorite doctor._

_This case is bigger than the both of you. And it's going to get one of you killed. And unless you can figure out a new way to always be in two places at once – you won't be able to keep her safe._

_PS: While your friend makes some excellent points, I vote for telling her you love her. Considering she doesn't have much time left._


	21. Chapter 21

_Okay, I am SO sorry for the delay – it was the longest delay yet! And to make up for it, I'm posting my longest chapter to date. So I hope you enjoy it! I am still so unbelievably appreciative of the reviews for the story. They are amazing and motivating! So- THANK YOU! _

_-Gret_

**Chapter 21**

"Excuse me, are you Special Agent Seeley Booth?"

Booth was knocked from his reveries about his partner, his thoughts about how to court her – slowly so she would have no doubt that he wasn't going anywhere – by a young-sounding female voice.

He looked up, to see a young candy striper looking down at him, waiting for his response. "That's me," he finally managed.

"Great! I was told to give this to you," she said, handing him a folded up note.

He grabbed the note, muttering a thanks; he heard her scurry away as he unfolded the note. Something tightened in his stomach as it became immediately clear that this was not just any note. It was from _him. _From the man who'd tried to have Bones killed.

_Dear Agent Booth,_

_How's your partner? She's not looking too good right now. It's nice that she's got company. The curly haired man and Asian woman seem like a nice couple. I'm just glad I'm close by to keep an eye on my favorite doctor._

_This case is bigger than the both of you. And it's going to get one of you killed. And unless you can figure out a new way to always be in two places at once – you won't be able to keep her safe._

_PS: I personally think you should tell her you love her. Considering she doesn't have much time left._

He felt like tiny icicles were coursing through his veins. In an instant, he was on his feet, heading for Room 212.

No longer caring about making sure to be calm for Bones's sake, only caring about seeing her alive and breathing, seeing that she was okay – he burst through the door, to the alarm of Bones, Angela, Hodgins and Sweets.

"Booth, what—" Bones started.

"Has anyone been in here?" he demanded.

Bones looked around the room, confused, at her current guests. "Angela and—"

"_Anyone_ else. Anyone out of the ordinary."

"No," she said. He could see she was growing agitated; the beeping on her monitors were speeding up a bit.

He ran a hand through his hair, clenching his jaw. He shouldn't have left her alone. Even keeping watch over her room, he'd let himself stop paying attention. He'd been too busy discussing his love life with Sweets like a lovesick teenaged girl to notice someone hanging around – someone that wasn't supposed to be there. If he'd been paying attention, he'd have known immediately. He'd have…

"Booth." It was Sweets. The young psychologist walked over to him. "Everything okay?" he asked quietly so the others couldn't hear.

Booth shook his head and looked over at his partner intensely. Her blue eyes stared right into his own, asking a million questions, fighting a million emotions herself.

Booth walked just outside of her room with Sweets following him. Without a word, Booth handed the note to Sweets.

Sweets read it, a frown deepening as he reached the end. "Oh boy," he said before looking up at Booth.

"That bastard is here. He heard us. He saw them visit Bones. He's seen her bruises. He's… he's _here. _And right now I want to grab my gun and run through this hospital to find him. But… I can't leave her for a second. I am _not _leaving her for a second."

"Sure," Sweets said. And Booth could see the young man's mind was also running a thousand miles per hour right now. "He might not be here, Booth" he finally said. Well, whispered. In fact, Booth could barely hear him.

"Sweets, did you read the—"

"He could have a wire here somewhere," he continued in the quietest whisper. "A camera. He'd be stupid to walk around here. His notes clearly have to do with the case you're on. The file has a lot of pictures in it to do with the case. Pictures of the people in Elisa Roberts' life – who you've investigated and have yet to investigate. But his picture could basically be in your possession as far as he's concerned. You could know what he looks like and you probably do. So walking around here would be tantamount to a sentence – or a suicide – to this guy. He wouldn't do it. He has another way."

Booth thought about it, his frown deepening. He hated this. This was supposed to be a normal case. His first case back with Bones since their time away from each other. And the murderer they were hunting for was trying to kill his partner. She was carrying his baby.

All in all, it was _not _the Welcome Back case he'd been expecting. And any case that put Bones in danger...

Whenever she was in danger, he always wondered – _always_ – if agreeing to bring her into the field all those years ago had been a mistake. He'd taken her on as his responsibility. If anything happened to her… _ever_… it was on him.

And now… it was all so much more than that. At first, he'd _had_ to protect her. He was the armed FBI agent in their partnership after all. It'd been his duty. Now… she was his best friend, someone he couldn't imagine living without.

A chill ran up his spine as he realized with certainty that there was no one he could trust. Not with her life. He trusted the squints. He trusted her dad. But he couldn't trust another agent to keep watch over her while he continued the investigation. Not after what had happened years ago with Kenton. He'd never risk that kind of blind trust in his FBI again.

"What do you want me to do, Booth?" Sweets asked.

Booth looked around. If there was a camera or a wire somewhere, then everything would be recorded. Booth reached into his coat pocket and grabbed a pen and index card. "Nothing you can do," he said loudly, hoping someone _was _listening. On the paper, he wrote:

_Leave the hospital. Go to Bones's apartment and let her dad know what's going on. I'm going to need him soon. Tell him to meet me at the park where Bones was cuffed to the bench. In two hours. _

"Sweets, go back to your office and let the bureau know that I'm off this case. I… I can't risk _anything _happening to her. She's my… she's my life." He meant the words, but still he wrote:

_I am not off this case. But I can't continue the investigation this way. Update Hacker and give this latest note to Weil to add to his profiling investigation. Call me as soon as things are in motion. And… thanks._

Sweets quickly read the note, understanding immediately with a nod of the head.

"I think that's best, Booth. Someone else will have to take the case if you drop it."

"I know. But… not us. Bones, she's already been through enough. And… I can't take anything else."

Again, he meant every word. He'd have to figure out how to keep her safe, work the case from afar, and catch this son of a bitch.

Sweets scribbled something quickly on a piece of paper and handed it back discretely to Booth.

_I don't think he can hear you in her room. His note discussed Angela and Hodgins going in, what they look like, what Brennan's injuries look like from afar, no details. It described our conversation. _

Booth nodded. He picked his head up, the wheels in his head spinning, trying to put together the best possible plan to keep her safe and catch the guy when he spotted her. The candy striper who'd handed him the note.

"Miss? My partner is in this room and she was just complaining of a severe headache. Can you please come and check on her?"

The girl's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, I'm not a nurse, I'm just a—"

"Yeah, well, you're just going to have to see what she wants so you can tell the nurse, understand? I don't like to see my partner in pain. Isn't helping patients like part of your job?"

Booth's voice was determined and cool, authoritative and firm. All in all, the girl looked too scared to argue as she walked into Room 212. Sweets smiled uncertainly as he walked away, note in hand. And Booth walked into the room.

Once the door clicked shut, he turned on the young candy striper, putting faith and trust in Sweets abilities for once. If Sweets thought the room wasn't bugged too, then he was seizing this opportunity. "Okay, you're going to tell me exactly who handed you that note. And you're going to describe that person in detail to this woman here," he said, gesturing to Angela. "Do you understand?"

Tears sprung to the girl's eyes as she looked around the room.

"Booth, what's going on?" Bones asked, moving to sit up straighter. Angela also stood, walking to stand beside her husband.

"Yeah, Booth, we were just getting ready to take off," Angela explained. "Gigi's babysitter needs to leave in a half hour for her night job."

Booth looked at Hodgins and Angela, ignoring Bones for the moment. "Whoever did this to Bones got a letter to me just now saying that it's not over. And this girl is the one that handed me the letter."

"Oh," Angela said, looking at her husband. "Well, that certainly changes things. I'm not going anywhere. Sweetie, can you—"

Hodgins turned to his wife. "I'll get Gigi and bring her somewhere…" he turned and regarded the young candy striper. It was obvious she was in over her head, that she was not some killer's apprentice. Though – Zach hadn't seemed the type either. Hodgins didn't trust anyone, other than his small circle of friends, most of whom where in this room. "Somewhere safe," he finished. He winked at Angela, squeezed her hand and moved to leave.

By the door, he turned to Booth. "I'm sure this goes without saying but don't let her leave alone either," he said, looking at his wife.

As if Booth needed to be told to take care of these women. Angela was his friend. And this killer was clearly making his intentions personal. "I won't," he assured his friend.

When Hodgins left, Angela turned on her heel and walked right up to the girl until she was towering over her, looking down on her. Motherhood had certainly brought about the protective side of Angela, Booth mused. Though Angela always had been pretty protective of her best friend.

"Your pink stripey uniform doesn't intimidate me," Angela said. "In fact, it nauseates me. So spill. What'd the guy look like, act like – anything you got, spill it."

Angela sat down and pulled a notepad out of her large purse, and a pencil. She looked at the girl, eyebrows raised, silently yelling _well – start!_

The girl took a seat and Booth could see her hands shaking as she grabbed one with the other. "He… he was really tall. Um… taller than you," she started, looking up at Booth. She looked away quickly, clearly intimidated by him. "He had like _really bad_ acne and like a very deep voice. Um… I think he was like old. Older than all of you even," she said like that was some kind of accomplishment.

"Listen missy," Angela started, but Booth stopped her with a hand gesture and an expression that clearly stated _she's just a kid. Keep her talking._

"I just meant that he wasn't as old as like my grandfather or even my dad, but he was totally older than all of you."

"So… what, forty years old?"

"Maybe. He had some gray hair. Round face." She peeked at Angela's starter sketch. "He was fatter than that," she said, her nerves seeming to give way to interest in whatever was going on.

"Um… dark eyes. Kind of like his," she said, gesturing to Booth without looking at him.

As she continued her description to Angela, Booth stole a look at his partner. She had her head back and her eyes closed. She seemed to be taking deep breaths. He walked over to her, knowing that Angela was in good hands, as the girl grew more and more descriptive.

"You okay, Bones?" he asked, standing beside her bed.

Bones looked up at him and he saw the tears sitting on her lids, not daring to fall.

"I'm okay. Just… feeling kind of helpless today," she admitted. "I don't like it. I'd rather be out there, finding the person responsible myself and practicing my karate on him myself. Like the good old days."

"I know," Booth said, taking a seat. "But… things are different right now. And it's a good thing. This baby girl changes everything."

"I know," she whispered. "And I really love her. Even though I am aware that I haven't officially met her yet, and have no idea what kind of personality she will have."

Booth smiled and laughed softly. "I do too," he said.

At that Bones looked at him intensely. "You do?"

He nodded. "The moment you told me this baby was mine… " he trailed off, finding it hard to describe that amidst the swirl of feelings he'd felt in that moment – annoyance, confusion, aggravation, happiness – he'd felt one emotion very clearly. Love. "Yes," he eventually said.

Brennan smiled softly, her eyes truly reflecting happiness. She cleared her throat and looked at Angela briefly before looking back at Booth. "So, do you miss her?"

"Miss—"

"Hannah," she clarified. She was clearly trying to make small talk, or just any conversation that would help her remain calm. Maybe she was fishing for a flicker of hope that he returned the feelings she'd mentioned to him before. He wasn't sure.

He was only sure of Sweets advice to take it slow. To give Bones indisputable evidence of his feelings. Proof. He was going to court her.

Booth looked down at his hands, knowing this was an opportunity to let Bones in a little bit. After everything they'd been through lately, the camaraderie they shared over their personal lives was like glue sometimes, and they needed that connection right now.

"I won't lie, Bones. Today's been confusing," he said reluctantly.

She released a breath, almost like she'd been holding it. She somehow seemed relieved. She always did love honesty.

"I can imagine," she said straight-faced. "This morning you woke up with a beautiful girlfriend in your arms, possibly enjoyed sexual intercourse together—"

"—Bones, really, I don't—"

"I know. Sorry. You don't enjoy sharing these kinds of things. But I am just pointing out that you possibly had intercourse this morning and now – she's gone." Bones shrugged, but at the same time she seemed almost sad that something could come and go, something like an emotional bond, in the blink of an eye like that.

"What if she was the one?" she asked after a long moment.

He took her hand and caught her eyes with his own, forcing her to hold his gaze. "She was not the one. The _one _would never have done what she did. Never. Not the one for me, anyway." Still, he held her gaze steady. He needed her to know that he'd never tolerate anyone pushing her away just to be with him. Ever.

She took a deep breath, once again seeming relieved. "Okay," she simply said.

"Today was confusing, Bones, because I thought I knew her. But I didn't. What I heard her say bowled me over. And then you were missing and in danger – and I haven't had much of a chance to really process any of it."

"You should go and find her, talk to her, so that you understand. Maybe the two of you, once it was out in the open would just—"

"Bones, no. It's over. And… I'm not going anywhere. You are in danger. What matters to me, what always has mattered, is you. I am here. I am going to keep you and our baby safe," he finished in a whisper.

He ran his thumb in slow, rhythmic circles over her hand, feeling electricity coursing through him at the delicate touch. He felt butterflies in his stomach. He wanted to kiss her now. To profess his love. He wanted to forget Sweets's advice.

As she looked at him, their faces closer together, he wondered what she would do if he leaned in just a little more and kissed her. She looked like she wanted all of that too.

"Okay, I think we have everything we need," Angela said, breaking the spell and walking over to the bed. Booth didn't move his hand though; he kept it safely over Bones's.

"You got everything you need from her?" Booth asked.

"And more. Turns out she is quite a descriptive little thing when she opens up. She's an acting major," Angela said, winking at Booth.

Booth looked at the young girl. "When you leave this room, you don't say _a word _to anyone. I am with the FBI and this is part of a sensitive, dangerous investigation. You say _nothing _to _no one. _Not your friends. Not a doctor you have a crush on. _No—"_

"—No one. Got it," she said. She was no longer nervous at all, but seemingly very excited at her role in this investigation. Without another word she left the room.

"Do you recognize this guy?" Angela asked holding up the sketch.

Booth shook his head and looked at his partner. Her brows were knit together and she seemed…

"Bones, you know him?"

"He looks familiar," she finally said. She shook her head. "But I can't place him." Growing frustrated her heart monitor beeped a little faster.

"Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out," he said, squeezing her hand. "But he doesn't resemble anyone in the case file. Not the couple we investigated or the boyfriend or his parents."

Angela stared at her best friend. "Does he seem familiar like – past case familiar? Or like a face from long ago that's possibly changed?"

"I think the latter, but… " she shook her head again. "I'm sorry. I'll have to think on it. My head hurts a lot right now," she admitted. With her severe concussion, Booth was not surprised.

His phone rang and he grabbed it, seeing Sweets' name pop up on the screen. "Booth."

"Booth, Hacker is going to act as the Agent in charge. He's going to interrogate the boyfriend's family tomorrow morning. Brennan's dad is good to meet you at that park bench. And Weil has the note."

"Thanks, Sweets."

"I'm going to assist Hacker with the interrogation. Since I've been involved with this case since the beginning. And since—"

"Sweets, you do understand that it's—"

"—dangerous?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Well, Hacker is a good agent, right?"

Booth's reply was so automatic it surprised even him. "Yes. And I do trust him."

"Me too."

When Booth hung up the phone, he looked at his partner.

"Okay, Bones, let's call your doctor in here."

"Why?"

"Because against my own better judgment, I am having you discharged early."

Angela started arguing, but Booth held a hand up. "I would never do anything to hurt her. Ever," he said. "But I need to figure out who this guy is, I have places to be and I am not letting Bones out of my sight. Every minute we waste, he puts a new part of _his _plan together. I know this isn't ideal. But then again, death threats never are."

"Well, I for one like this plan," Bones said. "I didn't want to stay here anyway."

"Yeah, well, that's not why I'm doing this. I'm just out of better options."

Bones pushed the button signaling the doctor, her mood instantly seeming better than it had been all day.

"We are doing _everything _the doctor says. You are not using this as an excuse to act like you're one hundred percent or to try to help, even."

"I understand."

"Do you? Because what I went through today, I am not going through that again. Got it?"

The doctor rushed into the room. "You called? Is everything okay?" he said.

"Got it," Bones whispered to Booth, a very faint, almost hopeful smile playing on her lips.


	22. Chapter 22

_Hi everyone! Thanks for the feedback on my story and for being patient with the latest updates! They should be coming more quickly now, it's just been hectic these last couple weeks! Lots of FLUFF coming up, though, so I hope you enjoy! THANKS AGAIN for the support!_

_-Gret _

**Chapter 22**

Driving across the city, Booth reminded himself not to speed too much. His passenger, after all, was suffering a severe concussion. One look her way confirmed that she was feeling it, too.

"How you doing there, Bones?"

She immediately cleared her expression of discomfort and pain, for his sake he was sure. "I feel fine, Booth."

He sighed. He wanted this case to be over. He wanted to just take her somewhere, just the two of them, and pamper her until she really did feel better, until all the danger and hurt was behind them and it was just them. Alone. Free to discover their feelings. Free to—

"Why do you want to see my dad?" Bones asked, as they neared the courtyard where the bench was; the infamous bench she was once handcuffed to, years ago.

"Because. I need to learn how to be in two places at once. And I really don't know how to do that, Bones." He looked over at her, carefully. "He'd kill in a heartbeat to keep you safe. And right now, that's the only kind of person I am going to trust you with when I am not around to protect you myself."

"I don't need around the clock protection. That letter was a typical threat, the kind I've received countless times. I know you'll follow me around anyway, so—"

"—it's really not up for debate, Bones. My mind is made up."

"Has Hannah called you again?" Bones asked after a few quiet moments.

"Why do you keep asking about Hannah?" He put a hand through his hair. After everything that had happened today, he was trying to forget about his recent ex. And not thinking about her – especially with everything that had happened to Bones today – had actually been pretty easy. Except for these kinds of moments, where Bones wants to talk to him about it – the way they used to.

"It's what we do, Booth. We talk about our personal lives." She said it so casually, he briefly wondered if she even remembered that just a couple of hours ago, she confessed that she loved him. She, Dr. Temperance Brennan loved _him. _He wished she'd drop the subject of Hannah once and for all.

"She hasn't called," he said. "And I doubt that she will. She knows that I am through."

"Is it that easy?"

"What?" he asked, not liking where this might go.

"Walking away," she said quietly. "This morning, you thought she was the woman you would spend the rest of your life with. And now—"

"Spending the rest of my life with her – that's a tall order, Bones. The day I make that commitment to someone, I will know them, inside and out – and if what I know makes me love them more, then I am not going _anywhere. _Understand?"

"But if you hadn't overheard our conversation—"

"—then it would've been dragged out longer." He gripped the wheel tighter; he really hated thinking about that conversation, picturing how his ex had put his partner up against a wall like that. It made his blood boil. He looked at Bones quickly. Of course, she still seemed confused. "My point is, people can't hide who they are. They can try. And early in relationships, people do. They try to show the best parts of themselves only. But it all eventually comes out in one way or another. And if I didn't find out what she'd said to you, then something else, at some point – or many little things – would've brought me to the same conclusion. That she was _not _the one for me."

Bones seemed to think about this for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders slightly, clearly satisfied with this explanation.

"When I am with… _the one… _I won't walk away. Ever."

At that, Bones stared at her lap, shadowing her face from him.

Finally they pulled up to the courtyard, where Max was waiting. Max ran over the passenger's side and helped his daughter out of the car. "How are you, honey? And how's my grandgirl?"

"We're both fine, dad," Bones said.

Booth turned off the car, got out and led Max and Bones over to the infamous park bench.

"Okay, Booth – what's so urgent?" Max asked, still looking anxiously at his daughter.

Booth opened his mouth to start, but stopped when his phone chirped. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw a text from Cam.

_Attached: Video from the crime scene. – Cam_

Something tightened in his stomach. Bones was sitting right here. She was safe. So was their baby. And yet he couldn't bring himself to hit the play button on the video. To watch her get beaten and nearly killed.

"Booth, are you okay? You look pale."

"Yeah, Bones…" He finally hit the play button and turned his back on Max and Bones.

A grainy image flickered to life. He saw a cop approach Bones's car. For a moment there was nothing. They were obviously talking. Then her door opened and she got out. His stomach did flip flops as he saw a gun prod her in the back and begin to lead her away. He saw her face now; she had turned around. He could see a determined look painted across her features. She was debating something in her mind, he knew. Booth went through the same mental battle as her. Should she have driven away? Should she have let him take her where he was taking her, and not started the fight?

At the moment that she kicked her attacker, he had realized that it really had been her best choice. Circumstances as they were, her best bet was to fight this armed man. He shuddered at the thought of how wrong it could've gone. If he'd merely fired right away, Booth's worst nightmare would've become a reality.

The two fought. Pride swelled inside of him as he saw his partner hold her own so well. But then, the man never gave up. He kept pulling her down. It felt like an ice cold hand was gripping his heart every time he saw the man strike her like she was a piece of trash.

The man beat her furiously and finally stood behind her and pulled her head back. Booth's breath caught as he saw him cock his gun and aim it at her head. He knew the outcome, but the scene terrified him all the same. _How close she had come._

How close_ he _had come to losing _everything _that mattered.

He saw the man jolt, saw the blood and life-ending damage as it happened, saw the man collapse heavily onto his partner in moments. And then he saw Max rush into the frame and pull the man off of his daughter.

"Booth…"

He turned, still dazed, until he locked eyes with Bones. "I'm so sorry, Bones. I… I should've been there," he said in a strangled voice.

"Where?"

"That man should not have had the chance to… he almost… you came so close to—"

"Is that the crime tape?" Max asked, trying to hide his interest in its contents.

Booth sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You don't need to worry, Max. You'll be cleared because of it. That bastard was a split second away from killing her. You had to."

Booth closed his eyes as the awful tableau seemed to play on an endless loop in his mind. How could he take Sweets' advice to take it slow after a tape like that? He almost lost her!

"Booth?"

He opened his eyes to see that Bones was standing beside him now. "I'm okay."

"I know you are, Bones," he said softly. Slowly he raised a hand, wanting to touch her face, to reassure them both that she was okay. He hesitated right before he touched her; he didn't want to move too fast. But knowing that she would understand his intentions, he touched her cheek gently with the backs of his fingers. "Thank God."

He dropped his hand quickly, and took a step away from Bones. He looked intensely from her to her father. "As you've figured out, Max, someone is gunning for Bones."

"Do we know why?" Max asked.

"The case we're working on," Bones said, returning to sit beside Max. She pulled Angela's sketch out of her bag. "This man might be involved. He handed a new threat to a woman at the hospital to give to Booth."

Max squinted at the photo, made the same face that Bones did. Like he recognized him but couldn't place him.

"Ring a bell, Max?"

He shook his head slowly. "I think so," he eventually said. "I feel like I've seen this guy, but…"

"I understand," Bones said.

"He doesn't look familiar to me at all," Booth said. "Which makes me think that it's personal. That somehow our current case has crossed a line into personal territory for you two."

"I'll keep thinking about this guy," Max said. "What do you want me to do?"

"When she's not with me, she needs to be with you. And you need to do that thing you do."

"What thing?" Max asked, seeming amused.

"You know that annoying habit you sometimes have of going off the deep end with anyone you think could harm your kids? Yeah, that thing."

"That won't be a problem," Max said, putting an arm around Bones and squeezing. "This brings our quality time together to new heights," he added.

"Well, this wasn't what I had in mind, dad, for quality time with you. Don't I get a say—"

"No," the two men answered simultaneously.

"Listen, Bones," Booth said, springing into action. "I need to go to the office. You are going with your dad—"

"I'd rather come with you and help you at the office. Maybe something will ring a bell—"

"Doctor's orders, Bones. You promised. You need to go and relax. But not at your place. I'm not taking any chances."

"Where should we go?" Max asked.

"Hodgins used his contacts to get an apartment. For now, it's our safe house. And it's where she'll stay until everything is over. The address is on this piece of paper," Booth added, handing him a piece of paper.

Before turning to leave, more eager than ever to catch the son of a bitch responsible for the threat on her life, for the tape he'd just seen, for all of this, he looked Max Keenan in the eye. "Keep her safe."

"You know I will."

Satisfied by that, Booth turned to Bones and took her hand gently in his. "Please rest and follow the doctor's orders. You promised you would. So do it for me, okay?"

Tears filled her eyes, though he didn't know why. But she smiled softly. "Okay."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

A couple of hours later, Brennan rested with her feet up on a very comfortable couch. The large loft Hodgins had secured for her had better accommodations than the nicest hotels she'd ever been to. Her dad had seemed cagey. She knew that what he really wanted to be doing was what Booth was doing right now – anything and everything to figure out who was doing this. Though in the case of her dad, he'd find out and kill the guy. Booth would do his best to just put the guy behind bars.

They both loved her, she knew that. But they showed that in very different ways. And they had very different feelings about the line between legal and illegal behavior.

"Dad, please stop pacing. You're making me anxious and I am trying to relax."

Max sat down and let out a deep breath. "Sorry, honey. It's just… that drawing was so familiar. It's driving me crazy."

"Sometimes when you think of something else, your subconscious works better and you figure it out," Brennan suggested. "We could watch a movie or listen to music… or just talk."

Max smiled. "I am enjoying spending this time with you. We haven't done this in…"

"About eighteen years," Brennan offered, her expression growing a little more serious.

Max's face darkened as well.

Movie nights, relaxing with her parents – that seemed like a lifetime ago. Before everything. Before they left. Before all those foster homes. Before all those international digs. And—

Her thoughts trailed off, something niggling at her brain. The foster homes.

She looked at her dad. His mind seemed to be off and running too. "Was that man once a foster father? Is that why he looks familiar?" Max finally asked.

Brennan shook her head. "No. None of my foster fathers looked like him. But… at one of my homes, there was another kid from the system. A foster brother. I mean, he was also a foster child. It was only for a couple months. And since it's been so many years, he's grown so much which is why he didn't jump out at me right… wait a minute, dad, how did _you _recognize him?"

"I kept track of you. I had connections. I read the files," he said. He shrugged. "It broke my heart sometimes, to see what you were going through, how tough your life was. But… I couldn't do anything. Just… keep a watch over you from afar."

He hung his head and shook it, guilt clearly washing over him.

"Well, you don't have to do that anymore," Brennan said. "Now, you are watching over me and you're right here. Keeping me safe. Even saving my life."

He smiled at that and grabbed his cell phone before Brennan could even open her mouth to suggest it.

She quickly dialed Booth's number and when he picked up, he sounded out of breath.

"Bones, you okay?" was how he answered the phone.

"Fine, Booth. What are you doing?"

"I just ran into my office when I heard the phone ringing. What's going on?"

"Look up my case file from the Souza house – from when I was in foster care. I think the sketch might be of my foster brother from then. But I have no idea how it ties into the case with Elisa—"

"—well, Bones, looks like we're on the same track. I just came across a note in the file that said that Elisa's boyfriend Rob was in the foster system. And since the guy in the sketch looked familiar to you and not me, I thought…"

"I think it's a start, Booth."

"Me too. And thanks. You just saved me a lot of time."

"See? I can be helpful, even from afar."

She could almost hear Booth smiling on the other end. "See, now that's true, Bones. It's why I can't imagine anyone else being my partner. Ever."

She smiled at that. "I'll call you back if I think of anything else about him. That was my first home and… a lot of it is hazy to tell you the truth."

She was greeted with silence and then Booth released a long breath. "Don't push the memories of that, Bones. Okay? Just…"

"I know," she said, reassuringly.

"Go back to relaxing."

"I will."

Clicking off the phone, she smiled to herself and looked at her dad, who just looked amused.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing!" But her imploring look forced him to continue. "Just… whenever you talk to Booth, your cheeks get a little pinker and you… you just smile more, honey."

"That's not true," she said. "Logically the coloring in my cheeks has all to do with blood flow throughout my body as well as body temperature. Should I get warmer, my cheeks would get pinker. Booth can't control the color of someone's cheeks. You must know that," she said dismissively.

She didn't dare argue his point about smiling though. Because even she knew that when Seeley Booth was around her, or talking to her – she smiled a whole lot more.


	23. Chapter 23

Hi everyone! Thank you SO MUCH for sticking w/ me through the long break. The holidays have been insane. I got two new nephews in the past couple weeks – and general holiday craziness has of course taken over my life as well. But thanks so much to the gentle nudges to continue, they are honestly what kicked my butt into gear tonight to just write already. Hopefully you enjoy the next installment! Thanks once again for the reviews and support of my story!

-Gret

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

**Chapter 23**

Booth was growing very irritated very quickly. Someone was after his partner in a big way. Somehow their current case had brought them blindly into personal territory for Bones – a thought which scared him. He'd wanted to bring her into the field. At first, he wanted her to stay in the lab, all those years ago. But he quickly learned that work was just more… interesting, even fun… when she was around. His biggest fear – ever since that bastard Kenton kidnapped her – was that she could die because of it. If being in the field ever took her life – he'd never forgive himself. And… he couldn't live with it, either. Living in a world without his Bones… it was just unthinkable. And the thought of something horrible happening to her gripped his heart, nearly choked him with fear.

He pulled up to his apartment complex and jumped out – heading up to his place to grab a quick shower and change his clothes. He had a long day ahead of him. He promised himself that tomorrow was the day this bastard was caught and put away. He knew who Rob was now after viewing the Souza file Bones mentioned to him. He was Rob Blitz – a foster boy from Bones's past. From the first family she had ever lived with.

Looking through the file had been tough. He'd never gone near her foster files before. And in just looking at this one, he wasn't sure he ever could get through them. But… his partner somehow made more sense to him now, in reading through this file.

The family had beaten her– badly enough that a housekeeper reported it to child protective services and she was removed from the home. From what he could tell, Rob Blitz was kept at that home much longer. At least another year after Bones was taken away.

He hated the idea of anyone ever hurting her – even years before they'd ever met, before their two lives ever collided. Back then, he'd judged her in a way as being too confident, almost arrogant, for being terrible at interacting with _people,_ for hiding behind her science.

Now – he understood her better. He should've understood back then. He hid behind his gun and badge in a way. He'd had an abusive childhood, and spent his adulthood protecting people he loved, protecting citizens from murderers and kidnappers. His very career that defined him… _really_ defined him. His career told so much more about the person behind the badge, and how he viewed strength and power. He protected himself as fiercely as his partner did. But he'd taken her at face value when they'd first met. And what he'd discovered he had held against her. Scolded her with.

Thankfully she'd proven to be such a great partner, he hadn't walked away from her because of it. And pretty quickly he'd realized that he wouldn't change a thing about her. She was probably the most genuine person he'd ever met. The way she didn't censor her thoughts or judgments or screen anything before speaking was refreshing. Most of the world only presented what they wanted people to see. They put on a show.

As he walked in his front door, he spotted someone exactly like that – someone that presented what they wanted him to see, someone that put on a show.

"Seeley," Hannah said, clearly shocked to see him walk through the door.

"I'm just here to shower and change. I'll be out quickly so you can…" he looked at her suitcases and gestured to the mess of clothes around her. "Finish."

She nodded uncomfortably. "Of course."

He walked toward the bathroom, taking a deep breath. He was still annoyed that he'd been so blinded by Hannah. What he overheard her say to Bones had cut him to the core. Bones didn't deserve that – someone using her logic against her, making her truly believe that _he _was better off with more space between them. The idea that someone would use her belief in logic against her bugged him endlessly, but knowing it was someone he brought into his life willingly was unforgivable. And the fact that Bones had bought into it – believed any of it for even a second – hurt. She really did need to understand her place in his life… and know that _no one_ could ever change it.

"I know you're still upset about what happened," Hannah said tentatively, stepping into the bathroom behind him.

"Upset doesn't even begin to cover it, Han," Booth said brusquely. "My day has been a huge nightmare. Hearing you – that was the tip of the iceberg. I kicked Bones out of my office so I could talk to you, and she was nearly killed. She could've lost the baby, she could've…" he trailed off. He didn't want to continue.

Hannah looked down, but then back up at him, still tentatively. "I'm sorry that your day has been so bad. But… I hope you don't think it's my fault someone tried to kill Temperance."

He closed his eyes. "Of course I know that it's not your fault someone's after her. But I also know that if you hadn't interfered, she would've been comfortable enough this morning to show me the death threat letter she received. She wouldn't have been off alone because I wouldn't have told her to leave my office if I'd know about it. I wouldn't have let her out of my sight."

He groaned and covered his face tiredly with his hands. He was tense. He needed a good back rub – maybe even therapy. This day had officially shredded his nerves.

"So I guess my next question is answered then," Hannah said quietly.

He looked at her, nonchalance and indifference in his expression, despite his range of emotions. "And what was that?"

"I wondered if now that you had time to think things over, you might reconsider us. Knowing that I'd _never _do something like that again. It wasn't even me. It was like some desperately insecure, panicky version of me took over—"

"You know, Hannah, the thing of it is, it was you. It was you, and I don't care that you'd never do it again. I care that you did it already. It's done. And so are we." He took off his jacket and hung it on the door hook as he started to unbutton his dress shirt, pulling it free from his pants. "Now, if you don't mind, I am really tired. I am trying to catch a killer that has his sights set on Bones as his next target – and this issues, you and me, it's not up for debate."

She visibly flinched at his words as her eyes clouded with tears. As she stuck her chin higher in defiance, or to show her strength, his resolved softened. Just a little. If this was the last time he ever saw her again, he didn't want to be so harsh. She messed up and she'd apologized. It was enough to topple them as a couple, but… it didn't erase their full history either.

"I loved what we had," he said quietly. "And I'll always remember how you helped me when I was… a mess. When we met."

She smiled, seeming touched by his words, and instantly more comfortable and confident. "Your heart was never fully in it though, was it?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I… yes, I'm in love with Bones. When I met you, I thought it was a past tense feeling. And I knew she didn't want me. I wanted – needed – to move on. And… I wanted to move on with _you_; the moment I met you I knew that. In that way, my heart was in it. And when we got back, I still had the same feelings for you—"

"—But seeing her again rushed old feelings back to the surface."

"Something like that. It didn't matter. I mean, I thought it didn't. I never wanted to hurt anyone."

She took a step toward him and looked up at him, her eyes boring into his. "I didn't either."

He nodded. He did feel she didn't mean to hurt anyone. But… it was all moot now, wasn't it? They were over. There really was no going back.

"Take care of yourself, Hannah."

Disappointment flickered in her eyes for a moment, before she once again fixed him with an intense look. "You too."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

The memories came back to her like a fog lifting – slowly things became clear and comprehensible. Usually when the fog lifts over the city after a rainy day, the day still looks gray and sad. That's how this felt. As the memories crystallized, the clear picture looked pretty sad and bleak.

She was fifteen. And the Souza's were awful foster parents. The mother was always drunk and passed out. The older sister, Maggie, treated her like she was her indentured servant – and let the kids know at school that she was just an unloved kid her parents didn't want – a _foster kid –_ said in a snooty, nasal way that only a seventeen year old girl could perfect as a taunt.

And the foster father – he beat her. She passed out from the pain one time, when he'd used his leather belt. It had left marks for almost a year. To this day, she still had little, light colored marks – if you looked really close – on her lower back.

Then they got Rob Blitz. He was thirteen years old. Maggie was decent to him, actually. And the dad didn't hit him nearly as much as he'd hit her. Maybe because he was so scrawny. At one point, when he was particularly angry at her, he didn't go near the younger boy. He'd clung to her, sought reprieve from his temporary "big sister." She was only two years older and just as scared as him – if not more since _she _was the perpetual target of the whole family. She couldn't help him through his pain. She was no leader for anyone back then. She was not beacon of strength at all – more like a shell of herself. Weak, fearful, pitiful…

She shuddered. The day child protective services came to get her, to save her, they only came for her. She had no idea what happened to Rob. He watched her go – out the window. He looked so afraid. But… she'd barely had time to process it. She barely had a second to think about the boy. He'd only been in her life such a short time – and the moment she was out of that house, she was filling out reports, talking to social worker after social worker, in a facility and within weeks in a new home.

In the end, each home held some terror for her. Some were worse than others. Some were downright… she couldn't think about them. Not yet. Maybe someday she'd face each one again and rise above those nightmares once and for all.

Today… she thought about the Souza house. Where she'd left Rob behind. Had he been beaten unconscious once she was out of the way? Once the father didn't have her to focus on, perhaps he'd taken his attention to the younger boy.

She hadn't spoken up. She hadn't been strong back then. And now… he was an angry man. Possibly a man who killed his pregnant girlfriend. And if he got wind of the names of who was working the case, he had a flashback to a pivotal moment in his life in which he'd felt very abandoned – and instead of backing down, hoping to throw attention off himself, he'd gunned for Brennan himself.

Bad things must have happened to him in foster care – and it seemed he blamed her for it all.

A soft knock at the door broke her from her reveries and she jumped. She looked at her dad who was snoring on the other couch, his head resting back. She stood up, her body aching with every movement – and walked to the door. She stood on her tiptoes and looked through the peep hole to see her partner on the other end.

Something… something good… tightened in her stomach as she opened the door to let him in. When she opened the door, she saw that he had take out in his hands.

"I'm having flashbacks of the old days," she said happily standing aside to let him in. She quickly closed the door and locked all the locks – something he seemed happy to see her doing.

"I know. It's been too long since we've had one of our… you know… one of _our _nights. Take out, relaxing, talking – leaving the world behind for a moment."

"I like the sound of that," she said. "My dad's sleeping."

"We'll save some for him," Booth said smoothly, taking a seat at the kitchen table. He looked around briefly. "Nice space. Hodgins did good," he remarked, grinning. "No visible windows in this room either, which I'm happy about. You know, a sniper—"

"—can get a clear shot from any surrounding building. I know," she said softly, recalling the times in their history he'd warned her about that fact. Only he could use his knowledge as a sniper as yet another way to show how much he cared.

She sat down, wincing a little. As her day wore on, her injuries just seemed to hurt more. She wondered mildly if she was due yet for another pain killer.

"You okay, Bones?" Booth asked, noticing her discomfort.

"Yes," she said. "Just sore."

"Where?"

She closed her eyes, flashing back for an instant to the awful experience earlier today. "Everywhere," she said in a near whisper.

He looked down and shook his head before meeting her gaze again. "Is there anything I can do?"

She was ready to tell him no, that she just needed to wait out the pain and it eventually would go away. But then she remembered that there was something. "Actually, yes. I have a cut on my shoulder blade. Nothing too serious. But, the bandage is due to be switched. It'll need an antibiotic ointment. I have that in my bag over there." She gestured to a bag near the doorway, filled with things her doctor had given her.

As Booth went over to get it, she took off her cardigan. Clad only in her tank top, she instantly felt cold, exposed. Could being beaten leave you feeling ice cold – like a fever symptom?

He walked over with the bag, looking at its contents and stopped at the table, looking at her, holding a bandage and ointment in his hand. But the moment his eyes rested on her in the tank top, he froze. His good humor slipped away and he just looked crestfallen. As he stared at her arms, she took a look too – noticing how dark her bruises had become throughout the day. Her arms were virtually covered in bruises.

Booth dropped the bag and knelt in front of her not tearing his eyes away from the countless bruises covering her. "Bones," was all he said.

"They look worse than they are."

He finally looked at her, really looked at her. "Don't do that," he said. "Don't try to be strong for me, so I don't feel guilty."

"Well you shouldn't feel guilty. This had nothing to do with you. Apparently I made a boy feel angry years and years ago. I've resurfaced in his life and he's mad at me all over again. This isn't about you, Booth. It's about him. It's even about me. But it's in no way about you. Do you understand?"

She needed him to understand this. She couldn't stand the idea that every time anything ever happened to her, he blamed himself. Today was no different. And she just… she didn't want him to put himself through it.

Though a little voice argued that when she thought he died, she had blamed herself. While she wanted him not to do that, she understood the feeling.

Still, he nodded. "All the same, Bones, I wish I could've gotten to you. Stopped him—"

"I know," she said sympathetically.

He showed her the ointment. "Okay, which shoulder?"

She turned so her back was now facing him. She felt him remove the bandage and suck in a breath. But this time, whether he was tackling feelings of guilt again or not, he said nothing. He silently, gently applied the ointment and put a fresh new bandage on her.

He let his hands linger just a moment longer and something stirred in her stomach. She turned to face him slowly and put her cardigan back on.

The way he was looking at her, studying her – it uncoiled her emotionally.

What was happening with them?

He looked down at her stomach – the evidence of their new, rather unique connection.

"She moves sometimes," Brennan said.

"Really," he said, seeming mesmerized by it.

"You can touch it if you want. Maybe you'll feel her kick."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, like he was having an inner struggle with himself. And then he moved his hand slowly until it was resting on her belly. Only then did she realize what an intimate position they were in. He was leaning forward from the chair he was sitting on, and touching her stomach tenderly, smiling. It was quiet. She could hear him breathing, hear him quietly giggling at the slight movements he felt – and they were inches apart.

She had told him of her feelings today. She told him that this baby was a result of love. Only love. For him. But… her escalated heart rate had prevented her from hearing what he had to say. And she'd been too nervous to ask him about it. In case he said he didn't feel that way anymore.

But just now, sharing this intense moment with the man she loved, she was the happiest woman in the world.

He looked up at her, almost like he'd read her thoughts. Something in his eyes suggested that he was thinking equally intimate thoughts. He searched her eyes, her face, stared at her lips briefly – his hand never leaving her stomach. Her breathing quickened. She… she was _nervous. _All the camaraderie and comfort that came with the presence of Seeley Booth was just… gone.

Logically, that didn't make sense. Why would she feel nervous around Booth—

But before her mind could run in logic circles, he leaned forward, slowly capturing her lips with his own.

At that very moment, her mind went quiet. She knew nothing at all. Just that she, Temperance Brennan, was kissing Seeley Booth. Finally.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Rob Blitz sat across the street from Temperance Brennan's "safe house", plotting. She'd left him in an abusive household, left him to die! That bitch could die now. But unfortunately it'd have to wait. She had two men in there to protect her.

Well, tomorrow, her partner would come looking for him. He was sure of that. And she'd be with the older man. He could take the old man, easy. And then… he'd take _her_.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&


	24. Chapter 24

I am so sorry for the long wait! Those of you who wrote those little nudges and words of encouragement to continue really were key to pushing me along. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and hopefully it won't be such a long wait for the next one. Thanks again to all who are reading and reviewing this story!

-Gret

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

**Chapter 24**

"_She moves sometimes… You can touch it if you want. Maybe you'll feel her kick."_

Seeley Booth was under a spell. In fact, he felt like he was under water. Sitting this close to Bones – touching her stomach, feeling _their _baby… his breath caught. Breathless and emotional, the moment brought him right to the edge of his sanity. He could hear her breathing. Feeling a little pulse like touch against her stomach push against his hand, he let out a small giggle. And he knew…

This is what love felt like. Oh, he'd felt love before. Nothing compared to the love he had for Parker. But Rebecca had never let him in like this. And he'd never felt for her, for _anyone, _what he felt for the woman sitting right before him now.

This moment, which was so unbelievably right, told him everything he ever needed to know about love.

Looking up, searching her eyes, he detected love in those blue depths staring back at him. Those eyes – they were full of questions and emotions. He could see she was unsure of his feelings. He could feel fear rolling off of her in waves. He could even feel and see her love. That one was harder to see, so good had she become at wearing an unreadable mask of emotional indifference over the years. However – he found it.

And that's why he did it. That's why he leaned forward so slowly… until their lips finally met. Sweets had told him to take it slow and he had no intention of ignoring that advice.

Bones didn't need to hear admissions of love from him just yet. She didn't need the full relationship experience just yet. But… he could not let this moment pass without letting her know how he felt just then.

Electricity coursed through his veins the moment their lips touched. Oh, he'd kissed her before. This marked their fourth time kissing. And yet… it felt like the first time. This was completely different from the last times. There was no mistletoe ruse. There was no begging for a chance. Or alcohol-induced confidence.

This was them. She was carrying their baby. Danger was waiting outside, scaring the hell out of him, and her. He laid his feelings on the line for her last year and she finally took that chance herself today. She laid her feelings on the line for him. This moment was borne of a total feeling of oneness and connection. And while the other kisses would always be special to him, _this _one was the real deal.

This one marked a beginning. Even if that beginning couldn't officially start just yet… the kiss held promise. There'd be more to come.

He felt her hand move to cup his cheek. He placed one hand in her hair, tangled it, and pulled her closer – all the while continuing to keep the kiss gentle and sweet. This was not about passion. This was about how he felt about her. How she felt about him. They were best friends first. And they were stepping into a scary new place together.

Placing his other hand on her back, she winced and the spell was broken.

"Oh, jeez, Bones – I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"No, no… it's… okay…" she stammered nervously, not making eye contact.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked nervously. He should've known not to touch her. Before the kiss, he'd been staring at the bruises covering her. He'd lost his appetite because of it, because of the evidence of her obvious pain and how those bruises came to be.

She shrugged and finally met his gaze. "I'm pretty tough, Booth. I have been through much worse than this. I'm just… sensitive right now."

He breathed out slowly. "I know you are. I should've… well, I shouldn't have…"

She smiled coyly. "It's okay that you kissed me, Booth. You… you are very skilled in the art of kissing actually," she admitted in that way of hers. Half-shy and half-proud. Too open about such personal things. That way he loved.

"Right back at you, Bones," he said off-handedly, uncomfortably. Then he sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "But today was already a roller coaster of emotions and… I probably shouldn't have done that. We have time, Bones. Lots of time."

"I've often heard that romance has colloquially been likened to baseball games. And kissing is only the first base. After nearly seven years, only hitting first base suggests that we are definitely taking our time."

He laughed at that and squeezed her hand. "You make a good point, Bones."

"It might even suggest that we aren't that good at baseball."

He smiles his most charming grin. "Oh, we'll be great at baseball."

He sat back and looked at the woman smiling before him. She never ceased to amaze him with her blunt honesty. Sometimes she could be so closed off. And then other times she could insist on discussing very uncomfortable topics. Sex, romance, controversial opinions. Things he'd normally just brush under the carpet.

He knew she was right; they had definitely taken their time getting here. To this point. But for the first time ever, he was in no rush to get all the way… well, "home". When he'd met Hannah, they'd gotten there on the first date. If it could even be called that. Same with most of his other relationships.

With Bones – every moment had to count. They all had to magical. Like this one had been. With Bones he'd do everything right. He suspected that she moved quickly in the past with men. That no one had ever really swept her off her feet, romanced her. He suspected she didn't know anything about old-fashioned romance.

He didn't really know about it either. He'd always been gentlemanly with women. But… he'd never truly taken the time for romance. He never cared so much about the outcome.

The outcome of this meant everything to him.

Still holding her hand, he gently raised it to his lips and kissed it softly.

"I ordered everything you love from Wong Foos," he said after a moment. "What would you like? I'll fix you a plate and heat it up. I don't want you to lift a finger tonight."

She seemed thrown by the turn in conversation, but suddenly hungry as well, and interested in the takeout that had been forgotten for the past twenty minutes.

"Well, if you ordered all my favorites, I'll have a little of everything," she said happily. "I'm starving."

He stood up, still smiling. "Great."

"Then I can take my pain reliever. I'm supposed to take it with food."

"Even better."

"Honey?" Max said groggily, jumping up from his sound sleep, looking around confusedly. "Booth?" he said, as his eyes adjusted to the scene before him.

"Max, you hungry?" Booth asked coolly, already fixing Bones's plate.

"Starving. I, uh… I was keeping an eye on her, a good eye – just until you arrived. I wasn't sleeping on the job."

Booth nodded and smiled, but the moment Max looked away to stand up, he met Bones's amused expression. She shook her head, outing her dad and Booth laughed.

Today had started off terribly.

But it was ending sort of… perfectly.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan awoke the next morning with a feeling of hope swelling through her. Last night… Booth kissed her! They'd… they'd kissed. And she had to admit from experience, it was really a very good kiss. Booth was very good at it. And she liked to think that she was a pretty decent and practiced kisser as well. So it would only make sense that—

She blinked away all thoughts of logic and just focused on the nice feeling stirring in her stomach. Booth kissed her… while feeling their baby move inside of her.

As she brushed her teeth, she wondered if the fluttering in her stomach was her baby girl or butterflies.

"Where's Booth?" Brennan asked when her dad walked into the kitchen as she prepared breakfast.

"He went to the lab to see Cam," Max said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "He needed to know more about the dancer's remains. Cam found something I guess."

"What? Why didn't she call _me_? I should be there, too. Why would Booth leave me—"

"Because you're recovering from being attacked yesterday. You had a concussion, and you still need rest—"

"I got plenty of rest dad," she said on the verge of anger, taking a seat beside him. She looked into her father's eyes, pleading. "Dad, this guy was a kid when we were in foster care. He… he felt _abandoned _by me. And now… it's likely he murdered this young woman, he found out that I'm working on the case, it resurfaced his old feelings of anger and hurt toward me… and right when the case is bursting open everyone's keeping me in the dark, leaving me behind? This case is all about me," she explained, trying to will away the tears that were welling in her eyes. "I need to help. I need to do something. I can't just sit here."

"Honey," Max said gently, touching her hand. "Believe me, Booth knows that this case is centering around you. That very fact nearly killed you yesterday, which as a result nearly killed him. He's just doing what he does, and keeping you safe in the meantime."

Brennan rested her head back and stared at the ceiling. "I hate this."

"I know," he said. "But it'll be over soon."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Three hours later, Brennan couldn't take it anymore. Booth hadn't returned or even called her to give her an update about the case.

Grabbing her dad's cell phone while he was in the shower, she punched in Cam's number, demanding to know what was going on.

"Cam," she said when she answered.

"It's Dr. Brennan," she explained.

"Hi! Dr. Brennan. How are—"

"Better, thanks," Brennan said, cutting her off. She was sick of being asked how she was. Sick of people worrying about her. "Is Booth still there? Where there more developments in the case?"

There was a moment of silence on the line. "Booth's not still with you?" Cam finally asked.

"No, he's not," Brennan said. Her heart flipped over and her anxiety reached level one as she tried to calm herself. Tried to tell herself to relax. That nothing was wrong.

"He never came here. He was supposed to be here hours ago," she explained. "He's not answering his phone. I just assumed he was helping you out still and heading here afterward."

Brennan clutched the phone until her knuckles turned deathly white. "No," she choked out. "No, apparently he left here awhile ago."

Cam was quiet for a long moment. "Maybe he's with Parker," she suggested. "I'll give Rebecca a call."

Brennan grasped at the hope that swelled inside that that's exactly where he was. Just… with Parker. Except… the only thing that could pull him apart from a big case like this would be something big, like if something was wrong with Parker. She pushed her negativity away as she murmured goodbye to Cam.

She squirmed until she finally launched herself out of her chair in nervous aggravation. What if something was wrong? No…

She couldn't think like that.

Instinctively, she walked toward her door, her hopes imagining a noise outside, like Booth's steps, as he made his way to her door. Maybe he was out there, would explain that he realized he worked better with her, since they thought about evidence, murder, cases just differently.

She opened the door and felt something inside sink.

No noise.

No footsteps.

No Booth.

As she went to close the door, her eye caught something on the ground. A letter.

She bent and picked it up, surveying the hallway quickly to be sure no one was there. Watching. Ready for her.

She grabbed the letter and closed the door, locking all its locks. She glanced down at the envelope.

A note was paperclipped on that read "Dr. Brennan, a man delivered this to the front door to deliver to you. –Reception."

She tore open the envelope and very real fear coursed through her as she saw the words inside.

"I have him. And he's not doing too well, Tempe. But you know, it's not him I want. If you want to see him alive, make a stop by the last warehouse on Kamden Avenue at the dead end. Tonight at 7. ALONE."


	25. Chapter 25

_Hi everyone!_

_This chapter is sort of short, so I apologize – but the next one is in process, and it's longer – I promise! Thanks for the WONDERFUL reviews. I appreciate each and every one so much more than you possibly know (okay, maybe my fellow writers know very well lol). Happy reading._

_-Gret _

**Chapter 25**

Seeley Booth opened his eyes greeted by a brightness that hurt. The light seemed to penetrate right through his head, and the ache was awful. What happened? Where was he?

_Bones._ If he was here, she could be in trouble. She was in danger. Max. She had Max.

He shook his head. He trusted Max, but not with someone that was able to topple him, Seeley Booth. He didn't want to be cocky, but he was definitely in better shape and had more combat training than Max Keenan. If this guy had taken him down, then right now Bones was most definitely _not _safe.

The thought chilled him to the core as he tried to budge.

His hands were tied behind his back. He was strapped to a chair. Interestingly, he was in the same exact scenario as when Bones and her dad saved him once before. Though he hoped this time he wouldn't need such assistance. No. In her condition, Bones better not burst on the scene to play hero. He never liked when she put herself in danger before. Now, he shuddered at the thought.

If anything happened—

"Agent Booth. I see you've re-joined the conscious world."

Booth turned towards the voice of a man. His face was obscured in shadow, but as he walked closer, it was finally revealed. It was the man from Angela's drawing.

"Rob, nice to see you," Booth said smoothly.

"I'm sure it is," Rob said, kneeling in front of Booth, eyeing him closely. "Though you're not who I want to see."

Booth worked to keep his expression tight, to not show a flicker of emotion or panic – or even anger. "Really," he said.

"What I'm wondering is why this is happening at all," Rob said. Booth eyed him closely; he could see the man was mentally unwell.

"I'm wondering that myself," Booth said evenly, pulling at his cuffed wrists. "Why don't you un-cuff me so we can chat about it like men. Huh?"

Rob just laughed like they were friends and Booth had just said the best joke. "I don't think so," he finally said. "I'm not stupid. I studied her recently. Dedicated books to you, all the years working together, the way you talked about her at the hospital… You're the guy. The one that matters to her the most. If I am to get to her now, I need you."

It was getting harder to keep his face expressionless. He'd been tortured before. He'd gone through hell and back to protect loved ones, team members or his country. A killer using him as bait to lure Bones out of hiding, to hurt, no _kill _her… it was a special kind of torture. It was harder to practice his trained facial expressions when harming Bones was the man's goal. It was hard to look fine when he felt like killing the man with his bare hands. If, of course, his hands weren't literally tied, preventing him from doing that.

How could he let himself get caught by this mentally unstable lunatic? This wasn't some brilliant serial killer. The man was an easy profile. Abused in foster care. Killed his pregnant girlfriend because he felt his life was out of his own control. Found out the crime solving team on the case included someone who he felt abandoned him in the system. Rob Blitz was an easy case, only made complicated by the direct threat he posed to his partner… to the love of his life.

He shouldn't have gotten the upper hand like this. Booth had been complacent. He'd not been on guard enough. The man had followed him obviously and he hadn't noticed. How was that possible?

Simple. His mind was not fully alert at all yesterday. It had been occupied with dizzying thoughts about Bones. Concern for her, worry – and after that kiss, love, hope…it was no wonder the guy got the upper hand.

Booth strained to remember.

He'd left the loft this morning to meet up with Cam. He'd stepped outside – and then he remembered no more.

He looked at Rob. "Why her? This case was about Elisa Roberts. Your _girlfriend. _Or should I say ex. I'm pretty sure things were over since you decided to kill her. Loving boyfriends usually don't make that choice."

Rob's eyes flashed with anger, his face remaining solemn. "Elisa. She wanted me to marry her. Stupid bitch. She was pregnant, you know."

Booth tried to control his breathing. But he felt like he was about to lose it, seeing where this conversation might go. "I know," he said in a tight voice.

"My dad – I mean, the one that finally adopted me, saved me from the system, from those abusive people – he said he'd cut me off if I married Elisa and had a baby. Elisa was just a waitress, you know."

"I know," Booth repeated.

"Well, my dad's the owner of the largest software company in the Northeast."

Booth nodded for him to continue.

"I could have had a great career following in his footsteps. I would've had a great life and it would've made up for the awful childhood I had. I wasn't serious about Elisa. Of course not! She was a ballet dancer and had dreams of Paris. She was hot, and I felt motivated around her, since she was so driven by her… by her dancing."

Rob stood and began pacing around. "I told her to get rid of it. It shouldn't be her choice alone. Her decision affected me, too!"

Booth nodded. "Could she have forced you to be involved with the baby if you were so against it?"

Rob laughed maniacally. "No. She was a big nothing. Do you know who my dad is?"

Booth nodded slowly. "He's important. You said."

"She had no power over me."

"Then why not just tell her she was on her own and let her live?"

"So the kid could grow up hating me? Feeling like I abandoned him? I am not like little miss Tempe Brennan. I don't abandon a child in need."

Booth met his gaze with his own steely glare. "No. You just kill them."

"He wasn't real yet. It was really early."

"Oh, he was real," Booth said. "And so was she. She was a person with goals and a personality, a family – and a baby inside of her. These people you killed, they were real. What you did – murder in the first – that's real. And your punishment will be very real. Don't think daddy will be so proud of you then."

"Well, no one will get me if I kill you and I kill her. Where is she?"

Booth swallowed. "Who?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"Tempe. She must've gotten my note. She should be here soon." He looked down at his watch and smiled. "She should be here in five minutes."

Booth couldn't help it. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, praying Bones wasn't about to come to save him in five minutes. Not after their conversations about the baby's safety, about her safety. Not after… everything. If she risked her life for him…

"You asked why her," Rob said quietly, kneeling again before Booth. "Here's why. She's the reason everything happened. The reason I even had it inside of me to kill, the reason I got into this mess. She's the reason it took me seventeen years to find a home where I didn't want to die rather than live another day there. It's all her fault. When I ever saw that Dr. Temperance Brennan was the name of the woman trying to punish me, it all came back in a flash. She should be punished for my crimes, and for…. For _everything! _She is the bitch who ruined my life."

"She was fifteen years old, Rob," Booth said in a low whisper. "She was a kid, and she was scared. That family practically beat her unconscious every day," he said, trying to control the quiver in his voice, trying to imagine he was just talking about someone else. Not… not Bones. "She didn't know how to protect herself. Or you. Or anyone. She lost her family that year. And she nearly lost her life because that foster father took whatever it was he hated about life out on her and her alone. So they came for her. And where the _system _screwed up is that they left you there. They left you there, and they shouldn't have. To them, he hadn't barely laid a hand on you. It seemed personal. It seemed like he just didn't like _her."_

"She was supposed to be like a big sister," he argued.

"She didn't know that. She'd been through too much to think about the big picture like that. Not then. She was too young to take you in and take care of you. The two of you were there together for a couple of months. And she was scared for her life that whole time."

"She drove away and didn't even look back at me!" Rob screamed, and Booth nearly jumped at the emotion behind his words.

He sighed. "She feels bad about that now," he said. "She even told me so."

Rob closed his eyes and shook his head, a tear escaping.

"Let me free and I will help you. I promise that I will help you," Booth said, his breathing labored.

Rob looked at Booth and for a moment Booth thought he might consider it.

"I hate her," Rob finally said, and Booth's heart sank, beating faster and faster. The five minutes were almost up.

"And when she gets here, she's dead. Isn't the death sentence how we deal with murderers? She's the reason for Elisa. She's the reason for everything."

Booth opened his mouth, about to try a new line of reasoning, but before he could say anything there was a knock on the door.

Booth's breath caught in his throat. It couldn't be her. She wouldn't…

Rob smiled a triumphant, almost evil grin at Booth before jumping to his feet, clapping his hands once in celebration. "Party time," he said, making his way to the door.

Booth shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. _No. Please, Bones…_

A click.

Metal latches moving, creaking.

Locks coming undone.

A door opening.

_Silence._

He held his breath. And waited.

"You wanted me, here I am."

And with one line, spoken from the sweet, raspy voice he knew so well, his whole world seemed to shatter before him.


	26. Chapter 26

_Hey everyone! I am SO sorry for the long delay. I am in the middle of about thirty personal crises (none major, but all of them quite time-consuming), and I really do intend to finish this story! I am already at least halfway through the next chapter. So hopefully a speedy update after this one makes up for the long wait for this one. THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you that have stuck with my story and encouraged it forward, those who let me know you still occasionally (or often) check for updates. That means the world and really does put a fire in me to sit down at the computer and crank out a chapter for you… and for me as I am committed to this story and its outcome. Hope you enjoy – and thanks again!_

_-Gret _

**Chapter 26**

"Well, well, well, look who's here," Rob said, opening the door.

Fear danced in Brennan's stomach at the threatening glare that greeted her. She swallowed, reviewing her plan over and over, remembering who was at stake. Her partner. Her friend. Her… maybe something more, if last night was any inclination.

"You said that if I showed up, you'd let him go."

"Bones, no…"

Brennan breathed out in relief. Booth was okay. At least… okay enough to talk to her. She couldn't see him just yet.

"Rob, a deal is a deal," she said, looking at the man standing before her, blocking her view of the rest of the room. Blocking her view of Booth. "Remember, when we lived in the Souza house together?" She tried to ignore the murderous look that flashed in his eyes at the mention of that time in his life. She barreled on quickly. "We always said that you kept a deal. We always believed that a deal was a deal."

Brennan took a breath before taking a step past the man and into the room. She looked around. Okay, it was more like a dungeon. The thought that Booth had been kept here all day having who knows what happen to him made her blood turn to ice.

Booth. There he was. Sitting in a chair, his hands tied behind him, a few bruises discoloring his face. He looked up at her and in the moment their eyes met, she saw it all. The pleading look, the questions. His expression was somber, serious… and fearful. The tight line at his lips, the muscle contracting at his jaw line – she could see the mix of fear and anger coursing through him at the moment.

She tried to express through her own eyes that she had everything under control. That… that things would be fine.

Though seeing the iciness in Rob's expression did cause some doubts and give her slight anxiety.

She turned back around before she completely lost her nerve, and faced Rob. "So, what's it going to be, Rob?"

Rob looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Is a deal still a deal?" she clarified. "Or have you changed that much?" Her wording was precise; the weight of their long-ago history hung silently between them. The little boy she remembered had cared about what she thought, had wanted to please her. The little boy she remembered would try his hardest to do her proud.

In a swift movement, Rob was across the room, standing before Booth.

"Say goodbye, Prince Charming," he seethed at her partner. Brennan's stomach recoiled at the acid tone that dripped in every word from this evil man's mouth. If she played any part in him turning out like this, she'd never forgive herself. But right now, she couldn't think about it. About any of it.

Booth looked past Rob and met Brennan's eyes. "Why would you do this?" he asked her, pain in every word. "Bones, after everything we talked about."

"I know, Seeley," she said. She hoped her use of his first name would let him know that this was not a goodbye. She had a plan. He just needed to trust her. "But I couldn't let you get hurt because of me."

"But you can get hurt because of me?" Booth asked incredulously. His expression had shifted only slightly at her mention of his first name, but he was barreling forward with his lecture anyway. Probably, she realized, buying time so she would not be left alone with Rob.

"Show's over, folks," Rob said, grabbing Booth by the shirt and lifting him out of the chair. Hands still tied behind his back, Rob dragged a kicking and fighting Booth to the door Brennan had just walked through.

"Rob, no!" Booth protested. "Please. You can still do the right thing," he pleaded. "Let her go. Don't kill any more people."

Rob kicked Booth in the stomach, and in one quick moment, opened the door and shoved her partner through it, slamming it behind him. He turned back to Brennan.

"It would've been more fun to have him watch me kill you. But I have a feeling that seeing it on tape might be even better. See, when you witness something horrible, your memory usually blocks it. Where's the fun in that?"

As he talked, he moved toward a video camera sitting on a tripod. Brennan hadn't noticed that before and cringed at the thought of how sick Rob had become.

"See," he continued. "I think there's less of a chance of blocking it out if he sees it on video camera. Finding you will be terrible of course. But seeing your last moments, hearing you beg, being able to watch your last moments over and over… _that _will be impossible to block out."

"Do you know this from experience?" Brennan asked, keeping her distance from Rob for as long as possible. She paced slowly in the opposite directions that he was walking.

"Because of you," he said.

"Do you remember watching me get beaten, right in front of you? Because I did," she said, swallowing hard, looking for strength. "Every day."

He blinked erratically. "I remember my next foster father. After you ditched me. He made me watch videos of him beating up my ex-foster mother."

Brennan stopped and stared at him until he looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry you went through that," she said sincerely. "That's terrible."

"Seeing it on tape is always worse," he concluded with a nod, pushing a button on his video camera that turned the power light red. "We're rolling."

She ignored him, ignored the camera. "I had some awful experiences after the Souza house, too, Rob. That was my first house of six." She closed her eyes briefly, trying to imagine she was talking about someone else's history. Not her own. "When I left, a fairy godmother didn't sweep me away and make everything better," she said, purposely referencing what she and Rob once wished could happen. Though she'd been older and didn't believe in fairy tales, she had put a lot of might into that wish – not just to please the younger boy, but… in case wishes did come true. She'd been young.

"My life was worse," he said resolutely. "My next foster brother beat me up almost every day. What could have possibly been worse than that?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks as the next words came rushing out. It was the first time she had ever said them aloud. "I once had a foster brother who r-raped me." Her breath caught and her arms wrapped around her abdomen, looking for love, support, for a tangible reminder that that life was behind her. Nearly 15 years behind her now. "He was evil," she continued, finding strength, swiping angrily at a tear. "I didn't deserve that, just like you didn't deserve anything that happened to you. Ever."

She didn't want to remember this, any of this. This case was supposed to be normal! Not thrust her into her past like this. And she didn't know why she had told him, of all people, about her rape. She'd barely admitted that it ever happened to herself. It wasn't in any of the official reports. That family had given her away soon after it had happened, and she'd been too relieved to even look backward and think about it. Oh god… what if that boy had struck again because she'd been silent?

She shuddered.

No, she could not do this. Not right now. She hadn't been looking to compare battle wounds with Rob. She had been looking for his understanding, and she'd been looking to empathize with his demons – foster child to foster child. Old friends who survived a similarly awful world, a similarly terrible childhood.

But it didn't work. She'd bared her most awful secret, and it didn't work at all. Rob didn't look like he cared one bit. And in one frightening moment, he was standing in front of her, boring down on her. "You left me."

She shuddered a sigh and shook her head. "I was very young—"

"You were older than me."

"I didn't know what to do."

He grabbed her arms, hard and forced her to look up at him. "You," he seethed, "deserved everything that happened to you." He released her with a push that was neither violent nor gentle.

He laughed cruelly before continuing with words that pierced her heart… and hurt her right to her core. "You think that your FBI partner wants _you? _You are used goods, Tempe. No one wants used goods. You are weak and… and from everything I can tell about you now, you can barely survive in the real world. You hide behind big words and your fancy career. You don't know anything about… about great movies or songs. You never know what people are talking about. Oh yeah," he said, at her wounded expression. "I read up on you. I followed you a bit. I heard what people said. And I figured you out. You barely have a family. They didn't want you. Now they're saddled with you. Your name isn't even Tempe. And you are awkward and weird. Your partner is a normal guy who probably wants to be with a normal girl."

In an awful moment, she realized that she agreed with that analysis. Booth was a wonderful guy. Any woman would want him. Hannah was his type. And if he didn't want Hannah, he really should find someone like her. Because while Rob was sick, he was not far off base with his words. She knew she didn't really fit in with most people. She knew she would always understand science and bones better than human interaction or pop culture. But used goods… she'd never thought of herself that way. So far behind her was that experience. But…

She cringed as tears threatened to fall again. No. She couldn't think of herself like that.

All the same, she found herself imagining that given a choice, Booth would probably rather be with someone with less sexual baggage, someone with a semblance of innocence.

No – this was not the time for this! Later. Later she could think about all of this.

She looked at the floor and told herself not to let Rob get to her. He was a killer. A demented _killer. _He had her nearly beaten to death by another evil man, practically killing her unborn daughter. He'd gone after Booth, hurt him and threatened to kill him. This man was no longer that little boy. As for her role in his madness, she could examine that later. Right now, he was sick. And she had a plan.

She walked quickly over to the northwest corner of the warehouse – as quickly as her shaking legs would carry her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. "Tempe!"

She heard the footsteps behind her and picked up her pace. She needed to get to the tiny little window. The barely visible one in the northwest corner. She could see it and she knew her crew was there. Ready. She just needed to give them their shot.

The moment she was close, she could feel Rob close behind her. She dropped to the ground quickly, and wrapped herself into a ball as she heard the firing and shattering of glass simultaneously.

And then, all she could hear was distant voices yelling and the sound of her own ragged breathing.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

He couldn't believe it. When the door had slammed in his face, locking his partner in that room with the man who promised to kill her, he screamed. He was shocked when two agents immediately picked him back up, and unbound him.

"You okay, Agent Booth?" one had asked and he'd looked at them like they'd grown second heads.

"I just witnessed my partner's kidnapping by a man who wants her dead. My partner, who is _pregnant _with my daughter," he added. "So no. No, I'm not okay."

One regarded the bruises on his face and cuts on his arm and picked up his walkie-talkie. "Let's get a paramedic to take a look at Agent Booth," he said into the piece.

At that, Booth stomped away. "Forget it. If you think I'm about to see a doctor right now—"

He didn't finish. He found the agent in charge of this asinine plan and Max standing beside him, and he walked up to them, a murderous glare in his eyes. "What were you _thinking?"_

"It was the only way. And, if we didn't help, she would've done something on her own. Then we really wouldn't have a shot," the agent explained.

Max shrugged helplessly. Booth knew that Max most likely wanted to go in himself and shoot the man in the head, that abiding by the rules was probably killing him inside. But he didn't care. How could Max let her do this?

"She's your daughter, Max."

Max nodded. "I didn't know about the plan until the agents came to take us here," he explained. "It was too late to do _anything._ I don't like this any more than you do, Booth."

Booth closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "What's the plan?" he demanded to the agent.

The agent pointed towards another agent who was huddled against a wall.

"He's our shooter. Dr. Brennan knows the plan. She needs to get Rob to this window here, which is pretty obscured from the inside, and we can take a shot. She just needs to get out of the way."

Anger flared in Booth. "You are going to fire shots into an enclosed room like that, with about a million metal surfaces? This is your plan!"

He shook his head. "No way. No way are you doing that, risking a ricocheting bullet getting her," he added. "You guys should have left me in there. I would've been _fine."_

"We'll get him sooner this way and close the case on him. He's a killer Booth. If we didn't do something by seven tonight, well… you would be gone by now."

"So she gets to sit in there and risk it all?"

Max stepped in front of Booth. "She trusts you and them. She would put herself in danger in a heartbeat, yes. We both know that. But she'd never put the baby in danger. She doesn't think anything will go wrong."

Booth sighed. He loved her trust… but hated it at the same time. She put too much faith in him and the FBI sometimes. She took chances. She ran into the field and line of fire. She always assumed she'd come out unscathed. Because of him, she usually did.

There were times, though, where he couldn't protect her. Those times broke him to pieces.

It was times like this. That might even get her killed.

"Why hasn't she turned the corner?" the agent at the window asked. "She was already supposed to have come around the corner so we could get a shot. Why is she taking so long?"

Something tightened in Booth's stomach at that. Had something happened? Bones wasn't sticking to the plan? She usually stuck with plans. Something must be wrong. Something…

It had been nearly fifteen minutes now.

She should be…

"Okay, okay," the agent said. "Never mind, here they are!"

Booth took a step forward but was stopped by a set of arms holding him back.

"He's drawn. Damn, she's in the way! Oh god, okay –" the agent said.

Every word out of the shooter's mouth caused Booth to begin to shake as fear overtook him.

A series of shots were fired and he felt like his heart stopped. Through the tiny window, he saw Rob and Bones both laying on the ground, some feet away from each other.

Booth took off on foot, back to the door where he'd been thrown out. Luckily an agent had fired it open by shooting the lock by the time he got there.

Booth rushed into the basement room and immediately spotted his partner, curled up in a ball on the floor. He ran to her side and fell to the floor. "Bones! You okay?"

She pulled herself into a seated position with his help and looked at him. She'd gone as white as a sheet and had a look in her eyes that he could only call haunted.

"Bones, what did he do?" he asked, pulling her closer to him, into a hug. "Are you alright?" he repeated, running his hand soothingly up and down her back.

She nodded, but still said nothing.

Booth looked over her shoulder to one of the officers at the scene. "Get an ambulance," he said quietly. "Now."

Bones shook her head. "I'm okay, Booth. I don't need an ambulance."

"I'm not sure what happened, Bones, but you don't look so good. Let's just play it safe," he said. And then he added, if just to get her to agree, "for the baby's sake."

At that she paused, closed her eyes, but nodded, to his relief. "Fine. But he didn't touch me. Not really," she added. "I should be okay."

Booth looked at the small window through which an FBI agent shot a bullet that had taken out Rob Blitz. The man who'd been chasing his partner, in his last moments, through that basement, gun drawn and aimed.

Twice in two days, his partner had very nearly been shot to death. And this time, she could have prevented it.

"Bones, what were you thinking?" he finally asked. He didn't want to push, since she still didn't look quite herself. She seemed pretty shaken up. But he was shaken up too! His hands were still shaking; his heart was hammering in his chest furiously.

"I was thinking, Booth, that I didn't want that man to kill you," she said brusquely. "We had a plan. He said no cops or agents, but… I spoke with Hacker and Sweets. And they felt that Rob was so far gone and in over his head, that we could outsmart him."

She got to her feet and Booth kept an arm around her; she still seemed unsteady which worried him.

"My worst nightmare, Bones, is you giving yourself up to save me. You know that. We just talked about that." He put a hand through his hair and sighed, frustrated. "You could've been killed. _Again_. And in case you aren't aware, I about lose my mind every time that happens!"

"I'm fine, Booth," she pressed.

"If you brought agents and cops, why couldn't you just leave me in here with him? Why did you have to go in there and risk… risk everything?"

She closed her eyes. "I can't handle your disappointment right now. We did it because the agents knew about that window to this warehouse. We needed to get him to that window. Rob had a gun and would've killed you if anyone other than me showed up. We knew that. All I had to do was go in there, and then get him over to the window. The shot was supposed to be non-lethal," she said, her voice quivering.

"Yeah, well, when he's seconds away from shooting you, they take him out if they have to." He groaned. "If you just had to walk him to the window, why were you in there for fifteen minutes?"

"We were talking," she said quietly. "He… he taped it," she said as her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She looked at the video camera that agents were already dissecting, extricating the tape from. "Oh no," she whispered.

"What?" Booth asked, looking at the video camera. "Bones, did he do something?" he asked, teeth clenched.

He looked at the prone form on the floor of the man who had killed their victim and had wanted so badly to blame Bones for it and make her the next victim. Anger coursed through him even though he was dead; because from the look on Bones's face right now, he did do something – and it was probably on that tape she looked so worried about.

She just shook her head and closed her eyes. "I want to get out of here."

"Okay," he said, leading her away from the dungeon where they'd both been held now.

He'd watch the tape later. Everything would be okay.

It was over now.


	27. Chapter 27

Whoa – a quick update and a long one, at that? Clearly someone's trying to make up for being MIA for a bit there :)

I hope you enjoy – and thank you again to all who read this story!

-Gret

**Chapter 27**

She still didn't look right. Hours after Rob Blitz was no longer a threat to anyone, his partner still looked pale, still had that awful, haunted look in her eyes. She'd been cleared – as had the baby – by medical examiners. While physically okay, emotionally he just knew something was wrong. Driving her to her own place, he glanced away from the road to sneak a peak at her once more. No change. The quiet in the car hung over them like a heavy weight as he wondered, once again, what had happened in that room to cause that look in her eyes.

Frowning, Booth sighed, wishing once again that she had just left him in there. He knew how much Rob hated Bones. He could only imagine what had transpired in all the minutes between him being tossed out of that dungeon and Rob's death. He could imagine the awful things he'd said – possibly laying blame on Bones for killing Elisa. He knew Bones. She could compartmentalize well, but not as well as she liked to believe. Her heart was too big. The bones on her examination table, they had faces to her, and stories. If Rob could logically link Bones to his own murderous instincts and actions, Bones could believe him. She could believe logic. And because she had a big heart, that truth – however false – could cause her real, raw pain and regret.

He gripped the steering wheel tighter and searched for something to say. But… he had no clue what had happened. No matter how much he tried to draw her out, she hadn't said a word about her final conversation with Rob.

To break the silence, he settled for a different kind of conversation.

"I'm sorry I got kidnapped, Bones," he said quietly, staring ahead. After a long moment, he glanced sideways, seeing her turn her head slowly to him, clearly trying to process why he would apologize for something like that. "None of this would've happened if I hadn't gotten kidnapped. So… I am sorry. I was being stupid," he barreled on. "Complacent."

"Booth, we've both been kidnapped before. I believe you once told me that it happens, that when we can't see something like that coming, we might let our guards down occasionally."

He nodded, relieved at least to hear her talking. "But my guard should not have been down," he pressed. "We knew someone was after you and we knew it was personal. I should have known that he might've tried to get to you through someone you care about. Or looking at it another way, I should've thought that he was smart enough to see that both Max and I were keeping watch over you and figured he might try to remove us one by one to get to you. Either way, I slipped up and… I'm sorry, Bones."

To his relief he saw his partner smile faintly. "Do you remember when you were in the hospital because you got blown up at my place?" she asked in her sweet, raspy voice – the only noise to be heard against the gentle hum of the car's engine on the now-quiet night.

"That's pretty hard to forget," he said, slowly smiling as well. "So yes, I remember."

"You broke out of the hospital against doctor's orders, in immense pain, came to my rescue… and still, you apologized to me."

"Well, Bones, I was supposed to protect you—"

"—No one asked you to protect me—"

"—and instead, I put blind trust in an acquaintance. Someone I didn't know very well. I put your life in his hands because I was out of commission. And he was seconds away from killing you when I got to the scene."

He gulped. He hated remembering that instant. When he'd turned the corner and seen his former colleague whom he'd so blindly trusted, aim his gun at his partner who'd been tied up, helpless. His stomach had clenched in fear in that instant, but thankfully his sniper reflexes came to the rescue and he saved the situation. With probably only a second to spare.

He'd had nightmares for a week afterwards about turning that corner two seconds later. A second too late.

He squeezed his eyes shut briefly. That had been too close a call. That's why he'd apologized. His very actions had led to his partner's near-murder. He wouldn't forget that. And he'd swore to never be sloppy again where she was concerned; to never trust just anyone with her.

"Well, he didn't kill me _because of you," _Bones finally said into the silence.

He turned and met her eyes briefly, before turning back to the road. In her eyes, he saw the trust she always had in him.

"And I remember it as he nearly killed you _because of me._"

"In this instance," she interjected, ignoring him, "you were kidnapped and obviously hurt by this man because of me. I think it falls into the same category of a situation in which you really do not owe me an apology," she finished.

"You say potato, I say potata, Bones," he said, to emphasize that like so many of their conversations, this one end with them looking at the same situation completely differently.

"I've heard you say the word, Booth, and I'm positive that you also say potato."

He smiled to himself, not bothering to explain this one to her.

They pulled into her complex finally. Once upstairs, Bones excused herself immediately to grab a shower and change into sweats. The moment she was gone, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Hacker's number.

"Booth, I'm just leaving the scene now," his boss said tiredly.

"Hacker, I need a favor."

Hacker sighed and paused before finally asking, "What?"

"The tape. I need to… can you bring it to me?"

Silence.

Then finally, Hacker pointed out, "that's evidence, Booth."

"I know it's evidence. But I also know that it's nearly 10 o'clock at night. No one is going to watch this until tomorrow. I need to see it."

Hacker sighed. "You're too close to this, Booth. Our killer is dead. The case is closed. As for what is on that tape… it's evidence now in a situation that I think you're just too close to."

"Something is on there," Booth said tightly. "And I want to see it before anyone else does. _Please."_

"What if she doesn't want you to see it?"

Booth sighed. "We only talked about it for a minute earlier, but… she knows that being on the case, I'll see it. She seems upset about the tape, and… I think the sooner I see it and can talk to her, the more relieved she'll feel that it's in the past. I can't stand to see this look in her eyes anymore. I need to be her friend, except… I have no idea what happened."

After a long pause, Hacker finally said, "I'll bring it by in twenty minutes. And you'd better bring it back first thing tomorrow."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan let the hot water from the shower cascade down her back, soothing every muscle in a pointless attempt to wash everything away. The words, the memories, the bruises, the pain – and the awful truth.

She hadn't thought of that incident in about fifteen years. Remembering it in a flash like that had uncoiled her completely. Just shaken her to her core. Now, nothing could wash away the painful memory. Not Booth's trusting, kind and concerned gaze, not this warm water… not even the baby inside. For once, the baby's existence didn't equal comfort and solace.

No. Right now, she was having trouble remembering that she was no longer trapped in a dark bedroom with a large and mean eighteen year old boy, pressing her down, ripping at her clothes, holding down her hands, ignoring her cries and tearing her apart. Right now, she was trapped in that room. Trapped in that memory.

And Rob's voice, through it all, taunted her, that her partner deserved a normal girl. Not her. He deserved… better.

He did. Booth deserved better.

As tears rolled down her cheeks, she lowered herself to the floor of the shower while the water just poured down – raining down on her like angry drops soaking used, abused skin.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Booth met Hacker at the front door to the complex and received the tape.

"You sure you want to do this?" Hacker asked. "Why not just wait until morning and then—"

"Because," Booth interjected. "I'm not going to rest until I know what happened."

"She looked okay," Hacker said softly. "She was cleared by the medics."

Booth nodded. "Well, that just goes to show that you don't know my partner as well as you think you do."

"What do you mean by that?" Hacker asked, tilting his head.

Booth laughed humorlessly. "You think she looked okay."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

When Brennan finally stepped into the living room, she actually felt a little better. But only just a little. The post-shower freshness and warm fleece sweats made her feel sort of cozy… and her cry had been a good release.

She was surprised to see that Booth was still there; she'd been in the bathroom for nearly forty-five minutes. She'd just assumed that he'd gone home.

"I didn't know you were still here," she said, voicing her concerns. "I'm sorry. I would've moved faster. I thought you were just dropping me off, seeing me home – like you normally do."

"Sometimes I stick around a lot longer so we can hang out more," he said, taking a seat beside her on the couch.

She looked at him knowingly. "So you can check up on me," she clarified.

He sighed. "Okay," he agreed, nodding. "This has been a nightmare of a case. It'd be a lie if I said that I wasn't worried about you."

She smiled, touched at his concern. He was always such a perfect friend. "Well, as you can see, I am okay."

"That's just it, Bones," he said softly. He looked at her intensely. "I can't see that. You don't look okay right now."

She tried to will away the tears that threatened to fall again. She already cried like a baby once tonight. She really didn't need an encore performance for Booth. "It's been a long day," she said finally, her voice nearly failing her. "A long case."

He nodded. "If you don't mind, can I stay here? Sleep on the couch?"

She opened her mouth to argue that he was just being an alpha male, as usual, worrying too much about her needlessly, but he put a hand up. "It'd make me feel better," he interrupted, before she could voice her argument. "I know you don't need me here. But I know that if I head home, I'll worry. And I won't get much sleep."

She eyed him closely. She knew he needed his sleep. Tough as he was, being kidnapped and then treated as a punching bag for a little while had to have had an effect on him. She didn't want him losing sleep over her.

She stood up and walked to a closet, and pulled out a blanket and pillow for him. "Only because you need your sleep," she clarified.

He nodded. "I know."

Instead of sitting back down, she looked at him and ached for her earlier realization. Being around him was hard right now. Loving him, wanting him – _finally_ – only to realize with complete certainty that he really did deserve someone better… someone he could talk to about movies and music and pop culture, and bring to any social occasion with complete faith she'd act in accordance with his beliefs and standards, someone with less baggage…

She couldn't be around him right now, because tonight was it for her. It was the end of this. Of them. Of hope.

He was her partner and friend.

And for his sake, she'd keep it that way.

Maybe she could find someone for him. Help him find happiness. Yes!

"Bones?" he asked.

She realized that she'd been staring while her mind raced.

"I'm going to head to bed," she said quickly. "Help yourself to anything you want."

Once safely snug in her bed, she pulled the comforter up to her chin and stared at the ceiling, an aching loneliness washing over her.

In flashes, those paralyzing memories would come and she'd blink them away, reminding herself that she was not sixteen anymore.

She tried so hard to push… push… _push… _those memories back. Focus on something else. Anything else.

Like her new plan to play matchmaker for Booth. Starting tomorrow.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

"_We're rolling."_

An image flickered to life on Bones's television. Booth squatted before the image, while the quiet audio picked up every little sound. The sound of his partner's ragged breathing, for instance. An invisible hand tightened its hold around his heart as he watched in fear.

"_I had some awful experiences after the Souza house, too, Rob. That was my first house of six… When I left, a fairy godmother didn't sweep me away and make everything better."_

Booth swallowed hard. She never talked to him about her life as a foster kid. He'd never pushed and she'd never divulged much.

Rob's voice broke him from his stream of thoughts.

"_My life was worse. My next foster brother beat me up almost every day. What could have possibly been worse than that?"_

Booth heard her voice catch, saw a tear slip down her cheek while she stared at the floor. He felt like his heart stopped, aware something was about to happen.

"_I once had a foster brother who r-raped me."_

All at once, Booth felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, like someone had sucker punched him in the gut. On the tape, he saw her hands wrap around herself.

He couldn't have heard her right. That… that couldn't have happened… not to his Bones…

"_He was evil. I didn't deserve that, just like you didn't deserve anything that happened to you. Ever."_

While his heart silently broke for her, it jumped when he saw Rob move quickly so that he was standing in front of her, threateningly.

"_You left me."_

"_I was very young—"_

"_You were older than me."_

"_I didn't know what to do."_

Booth clenched a fist at his side when he saw Rob grab her arms forcefully.

"_You deserved everything that happened to you." _

He pushed her away and laughed. If that man wasn't already dead…

"_You think that your FBI partner wants you? You are used goods, Tempe. No one wants used goods. You are weak and… and from everything I can tell about you now, you can barely survive in the real world. You hide behind big words and your fancy career. You don't know anything about… about great movies or songs. You never know what people are talking about. Oh yeah, I read up on you. I followed you a bit. I heard what people said. And I figured you out. You barely have a family. They didn't want you. Now they're saddled with you. Your name isn't even Tempe. And you are awkward and weird. Your partner is a normal guy who probably wants to be with a normal girl."_

She stood paralyzed, as Booth watched – also paralyzed. He could see her processing his awful words that felt like a stab to the heart.

Why couldn't they have just left _him _in there to deal with this evil psycho? Why did she have to go through this?

She couldn't actually believe that man's words… could she?

"_Where do you think you're going? Tempe!"_

Booth looked up to see the two of them run off camera, the sound of explosive gunfire filling up the audio.

Booth stopped the tape and ejected it, placing it with his things. He had to bring this tape – this tape which he just wanted to burn – to the FBI tomorrow.

He moved to the couch and laid back. Unsurprisingly, he could not sleep.

No wonder she had looked spooked. That man had brought something awful from her past back to life. He'd taunted her about her feelings for him.

When the silence was too much to bear, Booth stood and quietly made his way to Bones's bedroom. He edged the door open and peeked in.

He saw her curled up while the moon cascaded through a window and lit her beautiful face.

She was fast asleep, but she didn't look like she was sleeping peacefully. Her face was etched in fear. She turned once and whimpered softly, before repositioning herself and relaxing again.

He leaned against the doorframe and just watched over her. The love of his life. Something hurt inside as he watched her. He fought the desire to crawl beside her and hold her in his arms.

They weren't there yet. Right now, if this was as close as he could get to keeping her safe, it'd have to do.

Someday, though… someday, he'd be able to wrap her up in his arms so that they could both be okay.


	28. Chapter 28

_Here's the latest installment – I hope you enjoy! Thank you everyone for the reviews and the continued support of this story!_

_-Gret_

**Chapter 28**

Brennan sat in Sweets' office, fully annoyed. And it was only seven thirty in the morning. Because of a silly video tape made by a deceased killer, she was forced to undergo psychological analysis. It was highly unfair. She had more important things she could be doing at the lab.

Plus… it was uncomfortable that one emotional moment when alone with a killer had been uncovered by… well, by her friends. Booth and Sweets at least. They knew about this dark moment from fifteen years ago. And because they have trouble compartmentalizing they obviously assumed she did as well and were forcing her into more therapy. As if she needed it. She knew that that experience hadn't affected her or shaped her. It didn't scare her. She certainly wasn't afraid of sexual intercourse or men. She hadn't become a delinquent over it.

Why they felt she needed to discuss it just irked her.

"Dr. Brennan," Sweets prodded, too gently. Like she was a breakable doll marked Fragile. "As we discussed, this case has been incredibly distressing. For starters, you and Agent Booth went through a lot on a personal level, with him discovering your pregnancy. It was also your first case back. He was in a relationship. His girlfriend bullied you. He broke up with her. The two of you had… a _moment."_

"I know I hit my head in my fight with that fake cop, Sweets, but it appears that someone has given you the impression that I suffer from memory loss."

"I'm sorry?" he asked, confused.

"You're dictating to me the details of what happened in my own life recently."

He sat back and regarded her closely. "I'm just explaining why I believe this case was especially trying for you. Professionally it was almost typical. Except that the killer was revealed to be someone from your past, and he turned his attention on you—"

"—you're still telling me things about my own life that I already know, Sweets."

"Dr. Brennan," he said, sounding more frustrated now. "Do _you _think that this case was slightly different than your normal, run-of-the-mill case?"

She thought about that and had to admit that it obviously was. And for all of the reasons that Sweets had listed. "Yes," she admitted grudgingly. "This case was… emotional, I guess."

He sat forward, his frustration gone. Now he looked happy he was making progress. "Can we talk about it a little bit?"

She sighed. "Well, you've suspended me from field work with the FBI for two weeks, and have forced me to attend all of these extra sessions with the understanding that if I fail to comply you might not let me resume field work until after I've delivered my baby, so yes, it seems that we can talk about anything."

Sweets nodded but said nothing. He just stared at her. She hated when he did that. It made her uncomfortable. If he just told her what it was he wanted to hear her say, she'd gladly say it.

She folded her hands comfortably over her growing belly and looked at Sweets for some long, interminable moments, before finally speaking.

"I've decided to find Booth a woman."

To say that Sweets looked surprised at the words she chose to say would be an understatement. But after his look of shock wore off, comprehension seemed to dawn. "Why not let Agent Booth pick his own… woman?"

Brennan shrugged. "I am carrying Booth's child. He will undoubtedly try to do the noble thing. Pretend to love me. Marry me even."

Sweets considered this for a long moment. "What if he weren't pretending?" he asked.

She had no answer to that. But she did have her own plan and she intended to see it through. "I believe that the perfect woman for him would be somewhat like Hannah," she said excitedly. "Blonde hair, dark eyes, beautiful smile, intelligent, funny, very normal, socially-acceptable."

Even as she spoke, even as she _smiled, _describing Booth's perfect mate – a woman as different from her as can be – felt like a stab wound to the heart.

Sweets had a somewhat pained look in his own eyes, too. She wondered why that was.

"Booth didn't seem to like Hannah much in the end," he said eventually.

"Because she was a little too immature and insecure," Brennan informed him. "Booth values his friendships. I will ensure this dream woman is like Hannah but more mature, secure and able to immerse herself happily into his life. I will ensure she won't try to alienate any of his friends."

Sweets sat back. Brennan didn't know exactly what it was he'd been hoping to hear her say. But based on his facial expression, this wasn't it. Plus, he seemed frustrated.

Well, she was frustrated at this awkward therapy session too. At least they were even.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Booth was bored. Doing fieldwork without Bones was not nearly as much fun as listening to her make anthropological observations at every stop, say socially inappropriate things that he had to stop her from continuing in front of the local PD's and families of victims. In general, everything was better when she was around.

But… at least she was safe. During their last case, that was not the case, and he was still reeling from what a nightmare that one had turned into.

He knew she needed the time off. He was the one who'd asked Sweets to suspend her from the field for a couple weeks. He was the one who'd asked Sweets to force her into extra sessions so she might be able to process everything and deal with it. He also hoped that Sweets could help her realize that the final words that had spilled from the lips of her ex-foster brother were just the desperate ravings of a mad man… and so far from the truth it wasn't funny.

He could tell already that she had bought into what the killer had said to her. All of it. She'd become resigned. She'd put up a wall between herself and him that seemed almost as high as the one that had been between them when they'd first started working together years ago.

One day they'd been kissing and the next… she was pushing him away. Seeming to think he deserved better.

It made him sick. So he took action.

Bones didn't need to know that Booth was behind her field suspension. She'd never understand. She just needed emotional support. And in the two days since the tape had been handed over to the FBI, she hadn't opened up to him herself about any of it.

He had spoke to Hacker about the tape the day after he'd viewed it. He'd explained that it was a personal tape, not evidence – that it only contained personal information that Bones didn't need floating around the FBI. Since Hacker assumed that Booth might be stretching the truth for his partner, Booth was forced to bring Sweets into the mix. Sweets viewed the tape in private and stood by Booth, thankfully, dismissing the tape as evidence, deeming it personal – and Hacker, never viewing the tape, docked it from the evidence log.

Booth had appreciated his superior's actions. The tape was gone now. But… what remained was its effects. That man had shaken up Bones's whole world. He'd thrown her into the darkest corner of her past. And he'd scared her about everything that was happening in her life now, too. In his final moments, he'd really managed to do a number on his partner, without even laying a hand on her.

Booth sat at his desk, tiredly. He really wanted to see Bones. He had no real excuse, and he was trying to give her space per Sweets' latest suggestion. But he really missed her. The current case was an easy one too. He could already tell. It would be mostly paperwork.

It gave him the time he needed to pursue another more personal project. Hesitantly, he pulled a stack of files out of the bottom drawer of his desk. The files were from Bones's foster experience. And he was on a mission. He was looking for one very specific foster brother.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan walked into Angela and Hodgins' kitchen, pleased at the warmth it held. Her own kitchen felt kind of cold and lonely. Like her. This kitchen was brightly painted, with ceramic bowls and mugs on various surfaces. The little girl coloring at the table also made it feel warmer than her own kitchen.

Brennan walked over to the little girl and sat down. "What are you working on, Gigi?" she asked gently.

The little girl looked up, her blue, slightly slanted eyes, wide and curious. And very sweet. "It's a picture of my family," she said. She looked back down at her handiwork. "You know, when I was at the orphanage in Paris, when the girls would get a home, they'd draw pictures of their new families. All the time."

As she spoke, she became more animated, and something tugged at Brennan's heartstrings just listening to her.

"Now, I get a family and so I can draw pictures of my family, too. I have a whole book of us in different places," she continued. "In this one, we're at the lab. That's why we're all in long blue coats, see?"

Brennan smiled down, looking at her drawing. "Yes, that is very good attention to detail," she said seriously. "Your mother loves art, too," she said.

"She's _really_ good at it," Gigi said, almost self-consciously, like she herself would never stand up to Angela in this way.

"She's been doing it since she was about your age. Maybe even older."

"Do you think she was she really good when she was my age?" Gigi asked.

"Maybe," Brennan answered honestly. "I didn't know her back then," she explained. "So I cannot answer your question knowledgeably."

The little girl looked a mix of disheartened and confused. Noticing this, Brennan quickly added, "But I'm sure you are just as good as she was at that age. And I do know for sure that when you practice something, you do improve over time. Unless of course you're a delinquent of some kind. Which you don't seem to be."

Gigi smiled uncertainly as Angela walked into the room. "Thanks, Bren," Angela said, smiling. "We don't think she's a delinquent either."

Brennan smiled, glad to have been helpful to their new child's seeming inferiority complex.

"How was your appointment with Sweets?" Angela asked.

Brennan flinched at the mention of the appointment. She didn't like to think about why she was being forced into more therapy. "It was fine," she said nonchalantly. "He still insists that I am not yet ready to return to the field with Booth."

Angela sat down and told Gigi to go get ready for dinner. After the girl was gone, she looked at Brennan sympathetically. "Maybe he's right, Bren. I mean, you've been through a lot. The baby has been through a lot," she added, glancing down at her belly and touching it gently. "You two girls need to take a week or two and just relax. Take it easy. The field can be a dangerous place—"

"—well this case was unique," Brennan said quickly.

"True. But it can be dangerous. And you've experienced more danger in the past week than anyone would ever be comfortable with. When you add your pregnancy to the mix, it makes sense you're being put on bed rest."

"I am not actually being forced to stay in bed. Just to have therapy and stay in the lab," Brennan pointed out.

"I meant metaphorically. They want you to relax and be safe. It's a good idea, and I, for one, am going to make sure you're as relaxed as can be."

Brennan smiled at her friend. She always felt so safe around Angela. Booth, too, though lately she felt more conflicted around him than ever – so Angela's presence was especially welcome.

"I'm very lucky to have you in my life, Ange," she said honestly.

"Right back at you."

The tender moment was interrupted by Brennan's cell phone. As something tightened in her stomach, she realized that she hoped that it was Booth. She hoped that maybe he'd still call her about case details. Or… just to say hi.

She missed him more than she thought was possible, considering she had just seem him two days before and was not a codependent person.

It was not Booth, however but a number she didn't recognize instead.

"Brennan," she answered.

"Hi, Dr. Brennan," answered a cheery female voice. "This is Lydia Romero. You emailed me about my matchmaking services."

Brennan's face lit up, even as something inside seemed to sink a little. "Yes! Lydia, thank you for calling me back."

She excused herself from the kitchen so she could talk away from Angela.

"I was calling about a friend that I am interested in setting up. He… he is a wonderful man," she explained. It felt like she had a lump in her throat, which was just odd since she knew that to be impossible. Just twenty seconds ago, talking to Angela, her throat felt fine.

"So you said in your letter," Lydia said. "As you know, MatchMake is the number one matchmaking service in the DC area so you are in luck. Does your friend know that you're hoping to set him up on dates?"

Brennan stared at the floor for a long moment. Something hurt inside, but she knew this was right. She closed her eyes briefly, willing away the ache. "No," she finally said. "He doesn't know. I'd like to keep that confidential."

"We can most certainly do that," Lydia said. "Based on your description, he sounds like an amazing man."

She swallowed. "He is. I just said that."

"Yes… I was just… well, never mind. I am going to send you information for three girls that I think might be well suited for Mr. Booth, along with their contact information. I've already been in touch with them about the situation – what with him being set up and not approaching this himself and they were all fine with you reaching out to them to set up a chance meeting."

"Great," Brennan said.

After hanging up the phone, she sighed and sat down on a chair in the living room, trying to fight back the tears that were welling in her eyes.

"What was that all about?" Angela asked, walking in on her private moment.

"That wasn't for you to hear, Ange," Brennan said quietly. Because she knew Angela. And she knew she'd get involved.

"Well, I happened to overhear it," Angela said coyly, making her way into the room. "Now, tell me what that was all about because you know that I'm not going anywhere, nor feeding you your favorite dinner, until you tell me everything."

Her friend sat down and fixed her with a serious, knowing look. "Just what are you up to?"


	29. Chapter 29

_Okay, so I've grabbed this story back up, dusted it off and resurrected it. It's always niggled at me that it's unfinished and I really wanted to finish it! So – there will be a few more installments, and hopefully soon! I am so sorry that I took so long to get back to this. So… enjoy!_

_-Gret_

**Chapter 29**

Gloria Mason walked into the Royal Diner at precisely noon on the dot. She always was prompt. She'd been told her potential match would be in there, sitting at the bar, waiting for his work partner. She had his photograph and looked at it once more.

_Seeley Booth._

Strange name, she thought. But hot guy, she admitted, admiring his clean, handsome features and charming boyish grin.

She zeroed in on him. At least she was nearly positive it was him. His phone rang as she took the available seat beside him.

"Booth," he said into his phone.

Definitely the guy, Gloria realized with a smile. He was even handsomer in person.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, his features creasing into a very concerned expression. "Bones, you'd tell me if—"

He stopped talking, closing his eyes almost as if in pain.

"Okay," he finally uttered quietly. "Sure. I'll come by the lab later."

He clicked his phone off and placed it in his pocket, his shoulders slumping.

He seemed so down. If she were going to make an impression, she really had to turn on the energy. Cheer the guy up.

"Um, hey!" she said as cheerily as she could manage.

At first he didn't look at her. He just kept eating his omelet.

"Sir?" she followed up, leaning forward to catch his eye.

He looked surprised to see her addressing him, but swallowed and smiled. "Sorry. I didn't know you were talking to me."

She smiled her most disarming grin. She'd won a beauty pageant with that grin and she was well aware that it was one of her most compelling features.

"I'm Gloria," she said, holding out a hand. She was being forward. But she didn't exactly care.

He seemed confused but took her hand and shook it, introducing himself as "Seeley."

"That's a unique name," she said with interest, while trying to seem natural. "I don't think I've ever met another Seeley."

He half-laughed and looked down at his hands briefly. "You don't say." His words were blunt but his tone was gentle and friendly. Though… not at all encouraging.

"Do you come here often?"

His eyebrows shot up at her forwardness but he nodded. "Almost everyday. Usually with colleagues."

"Maybe…" she trailed off nervously. But he wasn't being encouraging so she knew that she had to make a move before he finished his meal and left. "Maybe we could meet up here… or somewhere… and grab a bite. I hate to see you alone. I mean today you're alone. Obviously normally you are here with… with colleagues."

She always did have a babbling problem when she was nervous.

He blinked a couple times before asking, "are you hitting on me?"

She smiled and put a strand of hair behind on ear and looked at him, her hazel eyes meeting his. "When at the Royal Diner, right?"

He smiled and right at that moment, she knew he was a good guy. And… he was not about to lead her on. He was about to nip this in the bud. But the smile was friendly and sweet. He was one of the good guys. And he was clearly not available. Or interested at least.

"That's really sweet," he said softly. "And unexpected," he added. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and gestured to it. "But that person that I was talking to on the phone just before you sat down – that's… well, that's the woman that I love."

Gloria stared down at her hands, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "You have a girlfriend," she stated, squeezing her eyes shut. How could the matchmaking company have tried to set her up with an unavailable man?

"Not yet," he said. At her quizzical look he added, "It's complicated."

"I understand," she said, getting up – not wanting to prolong the awkward moment for even one more second.

"I appreciate your asking me out though," he said genuinely.

She smiled. "Well, whoever she is, I really hope that it works out for the two of you."

"Me too," he said, looking distant.

And before he could say one more word of contrition for her sake, she bolted out of there, reeling from embarrassment and disappointment.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

"Sweets, we need to talk," Angela said, busting through the door to Sweets office. He was growing fairly accustomed to at least one unannounced invasion from a member of his team per day.

"Words I'm becoming very familiar with lately," Sweets said straight-faced, though his voice hinted at some humor behind the words.

"It's Bren," Angela said, taking a seat and making herself very comfortable.

Sweets took a seat as well and looked at Angela, his silence her invitation to continue.

"She's setting Booth up."

Sweets' eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Setting him up—"

"On dates," Angela clarified. "With women."

"Dr. Brennan is setting Booth up on dates with women," Sweets repeated, sitting back and taking this in.

"Yes, as in women that aren't her. Women that are not currently carrying Booth's child." It was clear Angela was very agitated by this news.

"Are you sure?" he asked – though he knew the answer. Dr. Brennan had admitted to him that she felt Booth deserved to be with someone – _anyone – _else. Her ex-foster brother, Rob Blitz, had done a real number on her. He'd truly made her believe that Booth deserved better. That she was… _used. _He'd dredged up her past and flung it in her face, racing every insecurity she ever had to the surface.

In many ways, she was sixteen again. Unable to process her emotions or feelings. Too hurt to let anyone in. And her way of coping was to push those closest to her – to push _Booth – _away.

"She's using a matchmaking service. I made her tell me. I even swore I wouldn't tell Booth." Angela smiled playfully at him. "See, that's why I'm here."

"I see," Sweets said smoothly. "You think I can magically make this better."

"They belong together!" Angela burst out.

Sweets stopped and just stared at her.

"I'm sorry, Sweets," Angela said in a rush. "But they were so close. I felt it. They were _finally _getting where they were always meant to go. And they have this baby on the way." Angela sighed and locked eyes with the young psychologist. "They belong together," she said so quietly it was almost a whisper. "I don't know how to make this right. I'm not even sure what went wrong that she's pushing him further away now than ever before but…"

"But…"

"I can't sit by and do nothing. She's my best friend. And he…"

"Booth—"

"—doesn't need a matchmaking service to tell him who his perfect woman is. We _all _know."

"Dr. Brennan doesn't know," Sweets pointed out.

"I know that. In fact, I believe I just said that," Angela joked.

"No, Angela, that's it. What does Dr. Brennan value above all else? Especially when she rules out emotions?"

"Logic."

"Logic… evidence…"

"Okay," Angela said slowly, beginning to understand where Sweets was going.

"If she's decided that a matchmaking service will provide evidential proof of who Agent Booth belongs with, then maybe _we _need to find a way to tap into the data… present the evidence back to her in a way that she can't ignore."

Angela smiled, her mind fast at work. Once again she began to have hope.

"I like the sound of that, Sweets."

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&

Brennan typed furiously on her keyboard. Her deadline was coming up and the last case had left little time for writing; as a result, she was way behind. And yet, she was not being as productive as she normally would as a looming deadline approaches. She was… distracted.

She'd been put on rest from field work. She didn't even have a case to blame it on. If she was honest, she knew she was distracted by thoughts of Booth. Every time she tried to ignore those thoughts, the baby would kick and he'd pop back into her mind.

She looked at her watch. Booth would have already met the first woman from MatchMake. She was a college professor, this Gloria Mason. She was very attractive. She wasn't blonde so much as strawberry-blonde and her eyes were in fact hazel – not dark. But she seemed to watch a lot of television and movies, and showed an interest in magazines as well. Her ability to talk about anything in pop culture would impress him, she was sure. And her great work with the students was surely a sign of social aptitude. Her literature background made her intelligent – but not in science…

Which was good! Booth always made fun of "squints". And he'd never actually dated one. She was feeling more and more sure about her decision to set him up with someone more his type. Booth was too good for his own good. If the baby hadn't been in the picture, he'd be happily setting up shop with Hannah right now. He may have cared for her – his "Bones" – once before. But he didn't know all the facts about her. And to move on so quickly to Hannah… his feelings couldn't have been all that deep.

He had merely been confused. Attracted possibly. And that mixed with his platonic love and professional respect… and personal friendship… had made him think at one time that she was someone he should be with. Now, there was a baby, and she knew Booth. He'd try to do the noble thing at the cost of his own happiness.

Well – she wouldn't let him.

A knock on the door startled her and she looked up to see a messenger holding a bouquet of flowers. "Dr. Brennan, these came for you," he said, ushering the flowers in and setting them down on her desk.

When he left, she looked at the bouquet. It was really beautiful. Part roses, part irises and part daisies. It was unique and colorful –and it smelled wonderfully. She pulled the note from its center and opened it up and instantly recognized the handwriting.

_Bones-_

_I've discovered something this week. Working on cases without you is actually… boring. I don't like it at all. It's crazy, when we started, I wanted to keep you tied to the lab. What did I tell you then? I didn't want a partner. And your insistence on coming into the field annoyed me. I don't deny that. And here I am, all these years later, and I can't work one case without you. _

_I guess what I'm trying to say is… I miss you._

_You are an amazing partner. A perfect friend. The strongest person I've ever met. And nothing is the same without you._

_I can't wait for you to come back._

_Booth_

She smiled, realizing her eyes had glazed over with tears while she read the letter. She found herself re-reading it, her heart constricting as her eyes scanned certain words. _Miss you. Perfect friend. Nothing is the same…_

_I can't wait for you to come back._

She missed him too. Knowing he was out in the field, working on a case, made her miss him something fierce. And she'd never felt that way before! It scared her. She hoped she hadn't created any kind of co-dependency where he was concerned. That was unhealthy. And if he was going to be forming a new relationship fairly soon, it was something that needed to be kept in check. She'd probably see a lot less of him when it happened.

She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose.

She didn't want to see him with another woman again! She loved him.

Her mother used to say that if you love something you should set it free. But… it was a lot easier said than done. That much she knew now.

Booth sat across from his son at a small Italian restaurant for a long overdue father/son date. He smiled at his boy; after everything he'd been through in the past few weeks, he needed this. And Parker, finally, got to know what was going on. Booth was relieved that he was taking it so well. After all, going from an only child to a brother could have gone over badly. But this was Parker. He should have known he'd be a champ about it.

"I'm honestly going to be the best big brother," Parker said excitedly. "She's going to want to be around me all the time!"

"She's going to look up to you," Booth agreed. "Because you are the best. This baby girl is so lucky to have you for a brother."

Parker smiled. "I don't understand how the baby was made when you were overseas. Roger's parents just had a baby, and he told me how it was made," Parker said, playing with his napkin – almost uncomfortable at the topic, but too young to truly be uncomfortable about it. "It sounds like you guys would've had to be in the same room," he says, his forehead wrinkly with his confusion. "And… and fall asleep next to each other."

Booth laughed. "Someday I'll tell you all about it," he said easily.

"Are you and Bones together now?" Parker asked, looking straight into his father's eyes with unshielded hope.

Booth took a deep breath. "Not yet," he said. "But speaking of Bones, she wants _you _to help her think of a name for the baby."

Parker's mouth fell open. "Me?"

"Well, you have a lot of classmates and friends. You watch some movies that are popular now that we probably haven't seen. Basically… we think that you hold the answer," he said, making sure that Parker knew he had been granted an incredibly important job.

Parker smiled, truly giddy. "I'll start thinking. How much time do I have?"

"About four months until she's born," Booth said. "So there's no rush."

"When are you two going to be together?" he asked impatiently.

"That's between us, buddy."

"She's probably overanalyzing her feelings," Parker said, and Booth's eyebrows shot sky high.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because she's a squint, dad. You've always said they squint at evidence, talk about life in terms of science and forget to have fun sometimes."

"Apparently you're a pretty good listener," Booth said, laughing to himself. Seeing how much his son cared about Bones, understood her – it just intensified his already overwhelming feelings.

"Here you are," the waitress said, bringing over their lunches. She locked eyes with Booth and smiled, "Is your wife joining you both?" she asked coyly.

Booth shook his head at her. "No wife… and it's just us," he explained. He smiled at his son. "Huh, buddy."

"Yeah," Parker said, happily digging into his food.

"Oh," the waitress said, taking a seat next to Booth. He sat up straighter and scooted over, his eyebrows sky high. Surely she hadn't taken that as a sign to come and join them?

"My shift just ended," she explained happily. "Maybe we could chat… and get to know each other!"

Booth sighed and looked at his son, some puzzle pieces beginning to fall into place.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B& B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

"Are you setting me up?" Booth said, walking in on Brennan's latest session with Sweets.

"Agent Booth," Sweets said, annoyed. "You cannot just barge in here when I am with a client. Even if the client is your friend."

Booth just ignored him.

"Bones, tell me the truth," he demanded, taking the seat beside her. His old seat.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean that randomly today, three women hit on me. Now I'm not saying that I never get hit on," he added. "But three times in a day – not exactly normal."

Brennan nodded, realizing that her big mistake was scheduling all three of them today. She should have scattered them over the course of a week.

"Dr. Brennan?" Sweets said. "Is this true?"

Brennan nodded. "According to the computer, they match your personality by 98% or greater. They would be perfect mates. Interestingly, you and I scored a 26% in compatibility." She smiled at him, trying her hardest to shield the pain she felt at that realization. "These women should all be the perfect mates for you, Booth."

Booth groaned and put his hands through his hair in frustration. Brennan straightened, confused. He seemed… angry. Really angry.

"This is _my life,_" Booth finally said. "You don't get to control it."

"I was trying to help you, Booth," she said. "If left to your own accord, you'll undoubtedly end up doing the noble thing. I'm not even sure you know you do it, but you put everyone else's happiness above your own – and that's not good. Someone has to look out for you."

"So, what, that's your job now?" he asked, glaring into her eyes. "Suddenly you feel the need to look out for me?"

"I don't see why you're so upset," Brennan said quietly, looking to Sweets for support. He just shrugged though.

"I just—"

But before he could finish his phone beeped. He yanked it from his pocket, still incredibly frustrated. His quick treatment of the phone caused it to fall on the floor by Brennan's foot.

She quickly grabbed it and held it out to him, but something on his screen caught her eye before he retrieved. He'd received a text message and it had an address of a Tyler Wilcox.

"Tyler Wilcox…" she said quietly.

Booth grabbed the phone and stared intently at Brennan.

And then realization dawned.

"You researched my old foster brother?" she said, barely audibly. "The one who—"

She put a hand to her mouth, unable to say it just now. Unable to process any of it.

"You looked into my past?"

Now it was her turn to glare at him.

Booth shook his head nervously. "Bones, I—"

"No," she said, standing up. "You had no right, Booth!"

"Bones," he said, shocked at her outburst.

"Booth, this didn't happen to you. It's my experience. It's mine to deal with. It's mine to handle. It's _mine!"_

"I know. I was trying to—"

"Trying to save the day. To solve my problems. Trying to be an alpha male."

Booth said nothing. He just leaned back in his chair and gazed down at the ground now, listening.

"You think that I need you to find this guy – like that will magically make it all better."

"I don't think that."

"Then what?"

"That… _man,"_ Booth said, spitting that last word out with disgust, "doesn't deserve to be free. Not after what he did. He should be locked up, so he can never lay a hand on _anyone _ever again."

Brennan's mouth fell open. "So, what, it's my fault he's free? Because I never reported it?"

Booth stared up at her in shock. "I didn't say that."

Brennan's eyes filled with tears and she clenched her fists by her sides. "I never reported him so… maybe he did it again. Maybe some other woman was forced to live through a _nightmare _because I left that house and never bothered to look back. Maybe he did it again. Maybe he did it to a lot of women—"

She stopped. She was really crying now, her shoulders physically shaking.

Booth and Sweets said nothing. They looked at one another. But neither dared to say a word.

"It happened before I knew self defense. Before I knew how to protect myself at all," she said with a shaky voice. "But when it was over, _that's _when I was weak. A coward. I just shut my mouth and said nothing. I was so relieved to be free. I never thought about what could happen to others. So I stayed silent. It's my fault—"

"It is _not _your fault," Booth finally said, his gaze never more fierce in his life as it was in that moment.

"He's right," Sweets said gently. "You were young and scared. He was a monster," he said, his voice almost betraying the emotions swirling inside of him. "It was absolutely _not _your fault."

Brennan wiped her tears and looked at the two men sadly. "Well, maybe that is what you think. But if anything happened to anyone else, it would definitely be my fault. And you cannot take that away from me. You can't take any of it away from me."

"Bones—"

"No, Booth," she said, her hand on the knob now. "Don't. This experience doesn't get to be yours. You don't get to be a white knight."

Booth stood up. "I can't believe you," he said. "You don't want me involved in your life, and yet you are setting me up in the most blatant way with caricatures of people!"

"They were very nice women," Brennan defended.

"Well, I don't want you involved in fixing me up."

"And I don't want _you _involved in fixing me! Or fixing my past."

"It seems you both think the other stepped out of line," Sweets said, trying to be helpful. "But this dialogue is great," he added. "Really."

Brennan's eyes flashed as they looked at Sweets. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Sweets. I am breaking our deal. I'm not coming in tomorrow or the next day or the next day. I want you _both _to leave me alone. And if that means I get long-term suspension, so be it. I have nothing to say to either of you."

And with that, she stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her.


End file.
